Convergence of Chaos
by catlover1033
Summary: Nancy and Frank take off on a camping trip with the kids, Joe and Vanessa are approaching the arrival of their second child, and Helen is building her relationship with her foster daughter. However, the possibilities of poachers, a medical emergency, conflicts, and a natural disaster makes things a little complicated. To put it very lightly. Third in the Moving Forward Series. R&R!
1. Another Beginning

_**I'm back! Didn't you miss me? Wasn't life without my story boring and pointless?  
Of course it was.**_

_**Anyways, new story! Yay! **_

_**A few points. **_

_**Update Schedule: Every other day. However, this is not forever and ever guaranteed. Especially since I am sadly behind in this story. But I will do my best.**_

_**I know a lot of you have been asking about George and Bess. In the end, there were too many characters and it came down to either George and Bess or Helen and Penny. I chose Helen and Penny (and Ben, Helen's boyfriend) I hope you all don't mind.**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews! I know one reviewer requested me to change the ages of Nancy and Frank. I really value your input, but at least for this story, the ages were set in the first of the series. However, if I write another set of stories, they will probably be younger. **_

_**Also, I have had requests for Nancy and Frank getting intimate. I'm sorry to disappoint some of you, but kissing, hugging, and implying things is as far as I go as far as sexual content is concerned. Just a personal choice on my part. Also, I'm not sure how old you all think I am, but if you'd like to guess I might give you a hint or two. Here's one. I don't have much (basically any) experience in those types of situations. Anyways, sorry to disappoint in that aspect, but hopefully the story is still interesting to those of you who would have maybe liked more intimate scenes.**_

_**Ahem. Anyways. I LOVE REVIEWS! I've had such a great experience on Fanfiction! The Nancy/Hardy Boys fandom is seriously one of the best ones out there.**_

_**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! First chapter is a little slow, laying some groundwork, but stick in there! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. If I did, I would give all my reviewers free signed books.**_

"You're sure?" Frank leaned in the doorway, holding Lizzy in one arm. "You could always join us last minute. It's not too late."

"Yeah man, Vanessa's going to be at seven months. We love camping, but we'll have to pass up on it this time," Joe told him, shifting his son Ivan in his arm, wincing as the three year old tugged at his blond hair. "Hey, easy, buddy. That stuff is attached to my head."

"Got any farther on the name?" Frank asked. Lizzy was sucking her thumb, an arm wrapped securely around his neck. He cast a quick glance in the kitchen where Nancy was talking to a swollen-bellied Vanessa. Nancy turned and caught his gaze, giving him a smile that made his heart pound.

"We haven't had much time, to be honest. I'm pulling a lot of hours so I can take some time off when the baby comes."

"Having fun giving people tickets?" Frank grinned. Joe made a face.

"Loads. I mean, I love being a cop, but there are so many mundane parts."

"I get you, bro," Frank agreed. "I can't even describe the piles of paper work I've filled out for trails and reports. Especially when the case is just tracking down a drunk driver."

"I'm thirsty. Can I have juice?" Lizzy chirped, looking charmingly at Frank with her wide blue eyes.

"One second sweetie," Frank told her. "Anyways, we'll miss you on the camping trip. But we'll be back with plenty of time for the wedding."

"Juice!" Lizzy pleaded, bouncing in Frank's arms. Frank flashed his brother a rueful smile and headed towards the kitchen. He walked past Nancy and Vanessa, who were discussing girl names.

"Are you excited for our camping trip?" Frank asked as he opened the fridge.

"Yeah!" Lizzy reached out to take the juice box, fussing as Frank paused to poke the small straw into it. "Juice, Daddy."

Frank froze.

Lizzy had just called him Daddy.

He felt a sudden jolt of joy, which was suddenly crowded out by worry. Was the little girl associating him with her first Daddy? He felt a slightly sick at the thought, his memory suddenly flitting back to the first time he had met the sweet girl. She had been scared of him.

"Hey Frank!" Nick scampered into the kitchen, jolting Frank out of his thinking. "Are you coming to our house for dinner?"

"I've got to do some work before our camping trip. But I might be by later."

"I'm so excited for camping! It's just going to be our family! Unless Vanessa and Joe come," Nick said excitedly.

_ Our family._ Frank felt a smile appear on his face at those words. Only a couple months, and it would be permanent reality.

"Yup, it'll be just us! Vanessa and Joe are going to stay here." Frank paused to put Lizzy down. "So it will be just us."

"North Lewis Park here we come!" Nick hugged Lizzy in his excitement and the small girl flailed her arms in protest. "Did you know that cougars live there?" Nick asked Frank.

"Aaaaaa!" Lizzy let out an unhappy shriek.

"I'm sorry Lizzy, I didn't mean to make you upset," Nick released his tiny sister. Lizzy seemed to accept his apology and let him hug her again.

"Well, I don't think the cougars will bother us," Frank said firmly.

"I'm not worried about that," Nick told him, brushing his light strawberry blond hair out of his eyes. "There might be North American Cougars at the park. Those are endangered! Critically endangered!" Nick's blue eyes were wide.

"How do you know this?" Frank asked curiously.

"Oh, I looked it up. My teacher helped me. I want to make my science project on North American Cougars," Nick informed him.

"Kids, time to go!" Nancy called from the kitchen.

"Aww." A brief pout flitted across Nick's face. Nancy walked into the room, holding five-year-old Zoe. "Do we have to go?" Nick asked Nancy.

"Yup. We need to go home and pack for our trip!"

"We're going tomorrow, right?" Zoe asked.

"Bright and early tomorrow," Nancy confirmed. "Let's head to the car. C'mon, Vanessa is feeling tired." Obediently the three children headed towards the door, stopping to thank Joe and Vanessa and hug them goodbye.

"I should go back to my apartment to finish up some last minute work," Frank murmured as Nancy kissed him.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning then?"

"Sounds good. Did I tell you I'm a horrible camper?"

"Not sure," Nancy grinned. "You'll be fine. This is going to be low key. I think there will even be running water."

"Are the kids happy I'm coming?"

Nancy gazed into his dark eyes and caught a glimpse of…of worry? Insecurity? She took his hand.

"Frank, they are so excited that you're coming."

"Nancy, Lizzy called me Daddy." There was faint horror in the handsome man's eyes. "Does she…"

"No," Nancy said quickly and firmly. "I've been trying to get her used to the idea that we'll be marrying, and I've been telling her you'll be her new daddy. She's not mistaking you for Tom. I'm not really sure if she even really thinks about him anymore."

"But if she starts calling me Daddy, what will Nick and Zoe think? Especially Nick. He remembers all of that clearly," Frank worried. Nancy sighed inwardly. Part of her wondered if Frank almost blamed himself for what happened to her and her children. Even if they had been out of contact while most of it had happened, she wouldn't put it past him to somehow transfer some blame to himself.

"Give it a new meaning, Frank. Show them what a Daddy really is," Nancy said softly, knowing the kids were waiting for her and a more in-depth conversation would have to wait.

But in the end, Nancy knew it was only her children that could prove to Frank that they accepted him.

* * *

"Helen, there's a letter for you!" Penny ran into the kitchen, clutching a letter. "See! H..He…Hele…Helen," she sounded out before giving the letter to Helen.

"Good job!" Helen hugged her foster daughter before taking the letter. "See! You'll catch up in no time!"

"I don't know. Nick can read books already. And add and even multiply," Penny sighed, blinking her dark eyes worriedly. She was the same age as Nancy's oldest child, but far far behind in school. Although she was seven years old and the age of a second grader, the girl hadn't even known her alphabet a couple months ago.

"Don't compare yourself to him," Helen told her for the millionth time. "You're working hard and that's what matters. And now it's summer so you can get some catching up done!"

"I love you, Helen," Penny hugged her tightly. "You always can make me feel happy again!"

"I love you too sweetie." Helen hugged her back then opened the letter. She pulled some official looking papers out.

"What is it?"Penny stood on her tiptoes trying to glimpse the papers that she wasn't even able to read.

"They're… they're my divorce papers," Helen said slowly, looking them over.

"What's that?"

"It means I'm not married to Charly anymore," Helen explained, gripping the papers tightly.

The sound of the door opening interrupted their conversation, and Penny immediately stiffened, her breathing increasing.

"Penny and I are in the kitchen!" Helen called out, quickly kneeling beside the girl.

"This is Fenton," Fenton called back quietly. The protocol was well known, as Penny did not do well with impromptu confrontations, to put it lightly.

"Penny, it's just Fenton. Nobody is going to hurt you. You're fine," Helen told the girl, rubbing her back gently. Slowly Penny relaxed and Fenton carefully walked into the room.

"Let's go upstairs," Penny said, clutching Helen's hand. Her dark eyes didn't waver from Fenton's tall form. Although the seven year old seemed to accept that Fenton wasn't going to hurt her, she wasn't comfortable around men, period.

Helen exchanged a quick look with Fenton. They had brainstormed for hours, trying to figure out how to get Penny to trust the kind elder man. Mostly they were trying to show Penny that he wasn't someone who she had to be afraid of.

"Hold on, I want to talk to Fenton for a little bit. Fenton, my divorce papers came," Helen told him. His face stretched into a wide smile.

"That's great Helen!" He reached out and hugged her. "How do you feel?"

"Good. Great actually."

"Helen…" Penny was tugging at her hand.

"Alright, let me take this rascal up to our rooms," Helen laughed, picking up the girl. They headed up the stairs to their living quarters. Although still too small and light, Penny was beginning to approach a healthy weight. "We should probably check up with Doctor Williams again," she mused, putting Penny down.

Penny made a face. "I don't like going to the doctor."

"I know." Helen sighed, her gaze flitting over Penny's right arm. After an x-ray to gain evidence for Penny's father's trial, the doctor had informed her that Penny's right arm had been broken some time ago and it had healed wrong. In fact, Helen could tell it was slightly crooked, and Penny sometimes complained that it hurt. There were other signs of other old fractured bones and breaks but the arm alone had healed crookedly, which was a miracle in itself.

The doctor had suggested re-breaking it and setting it. They had agreed to put off the procedure until Penny was a little more stable emotionally. Helen hadn't told Penny yet and was quite frankly dreading it. Although she knew it was necessary, she couldn't help but feel that she was intentionally bringing pain to her daughter.

The ringing of a cell phone distracted Helen from her thoughts and she grabbed her phone from her bag.

"Hey, Ben!" she said happily. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Penny frown, her dark eyes widening with fear and unhappiness.

That was the other problem.

Penny wouldn't even talk to Helen's boyfriend.

_**Please Review! Encouragement/Thoughts/Input would be very appreciated!**_


	2. Wilderness and a Rose

_**Aww I missed you all too :)**_

_**Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm conserving the material I have already written because this week is so insane I'm afraid I won't make much progress in writing!**_

_**Thanks for the amazing reviews! I'm trying something new this time, because I've seen it done before and thought it was nice.**_

_**So... A huge thanks to Max2013, jarlcarriers, Guest#1, VerityD, Cecilia Haunt, Guest#2, Caranath, NF, Cupcake, Guest#3, Allanna, Smithy, flowerlover, and J for reviewing Chapter One! **_

_**Also big thanks to those who have favorited or followed this story!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

Joe yawned and turned over in bed. Vanessa was sleeping soundly, her blond hair falling into her face. He smiled and couldn't resist the urge to kiss her softly. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake. Joe gently touched her stomach.

"Hey baby girl," he whispered. He felt a slight movement against his hand and his eyes widened. He had felt the baby moving! He put his hand on again and felt the baby kick.

His daughter was going to be a fighter. For sure. He could teach her self-defense and then she could go beat up the boys on the playground…

Just two more months to go and he could meet his little girl.

"Joe?" Vanessa stirred, her grey eyes blinking open.

"I felt the baby kick!" Joe said excitedly, lying back down beside her.

"She's going to be an active one," Vanessa smiled, taking his hand.

"How are you feeling?"

"My back aches a little, but other than that, okay," Vanessa assured him. "I guess Ivan is still asleep so that's a blessing. Do you have to go to work?"

Joe rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock. "I should get up in about half an hour."

"Rose!" Vanessa said suddenly.

"What?" Joe looked at her confusedly.

"The baby. What about the name Rose?" Vanessa asked.

"Perfect!" Joe agreed instantly. "What about Rose Miranda? Rose Miranda Hardy." He put his hand on Vanessa's belly. "What do you think, baby? Do you want to be Rose Miranda?"

Vanessa's eyes widened as the baby kicked, and she exchanged an awed look with Joe.

"Well, I think all of us agree."

"All three of us."

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet," Nancy said a patience that impressed Frank. It was probably Nick's tenth time asking.

"C'mon buddy, let's play a game," Frank suggested, twisting his body to look into the back of the car. Lizzy was conked out in her car seat, while Zoe was sleepily staring out the window in her booster seat. Nick had books scattered all over the floor around him. The trunk of the car was absolutely stuffed with camping supplies.

"What sort of game?" Nick asked.

"It's called the alphabet game," Frank told him. "So you start with 'A' and try to get all the way to 'Z'. But you can only use letters from signs outside the car."

"That sounds fun." Nick quickly brightened.

Nick was all the way to W when he spotted a more interesting sign.

"Hey! Look! We're here! It says North Lewis Park!" Nick exclaimed.

Soon they turned onto the small road going through the dense woods, finally arriving at a small little hut.

"This is where we check in," Frank said, unbuckling his seat belt.

"Can I please come out?" Nick pleaded. "I'm so tired of sitting."

"I'll help them out, Nan, you can go ahead and check in," Frank offered, rewarded with a quick smile.

Nancy walked into the small cabin, a small bell tinkling as she opened the door. An old man was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper. He looked up as she stepped inside. His eyes were crystal blue against his tan skin and white hair.

"Hello! Welcome to North Lewis Park! Gregory Small, park caretaker at yer service," he boomed, standing up, shaking Nancy's hand vigorously. "What can I do for ya, Miss?"

"We need a two tent site, Mr. Small."

The name, she realized as the man stood, was very ironic. Mr. Small was a towering man with a barrel chest, despite his obvious age.

"Please, call me Greg. Everybody does. Two tent site coming right up!" The man began ruffling through some papers. "Campsite's pretty empty this year. People just don't go campin' no more. The kids don't want to; they're all glued to screens. Poor North Lewis Park has been loosin' campers for years. It's a tragedy, I tell ya. But the park is protected, so it ain't in no danger. There jest ain't no people here to 'preciate the beauty."

"I'm sorry," Nancy said sincerely. "That is horrible. My children are very excited to be here. I want them to have the experience. My dad always took me camping when I was little," she told him.

"That's the way to do it," Greg agreed emphatically. "Aha! I got it! This site is a beauty. The best one out there, I'm tellin' ya. Site 16. Ye jest keep goin' down the main road, and ya can't miss it! It's right next to the creek and all. Very nice."

"Thank you," Nancy smiled, writing out the check to the park. When she was done signing in, she headed out the door, with Greg close behind. Frank was holding Lizzy and watching Nick and Zoe as they picked out pretty stones from the gravel drive.

"This is Gregory Small," Nancy introduced. "These are my children and fiancée."

If Greg wondered why Nancy had three small children and no husband, he didn't let on.

"Mighty honored t' meet you all," he said enthusiastically.

"Do you know if there are any North American Cougars here?" Nick asked, dropping his stones.

Greg's bushy white eyebrows rose. "Ah, in fact we do, little man. They're quite endanger'd, but I suppose ye knew that."

"I did. They're critically endangered," Nick nodded, his blue eyes widening. "So they're here?"

"Yep. If ye see one, make yerself as big as possible, and make a lot of noise. But they shouldn't bother ya. They're solitary animals, those cats. Not te mention there ain't very many round no more."

"Wow," Nick stared at Greg with large eyes.

"Come on, let's find our site," Frank said, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders. As they loaded back into the car, Frank checked his phone. To his surprise, he had zero bars. There was no cell phone reception.

For some reason this made Frank uneasy. Maybe because his career depended on communication and reaching authorities.

"Ye ain't going te get no reception on that new fangled thing," Greg told him, noticing his cell phone.

"What if there is an emergency?" Frank asked quietly.

"We got a phone hooked up at the park station," Greg told him. "Don't ye worry, it's gunna be a fine week."

At the time, Frank believed him.

* * *

"Frank, the pole goes through the little loop," Nick patiently explained, perched on a log.

"Since when did tents get so complicated?" Frank complained, threading the pole through the fabric loops. "I do not remember these things being so fancy."

"How's it going?" Nancy asked, holding Lizzy on her hip. In a pair of jeans and comfy fleece, she looked absolutely at home in the wilderness. And somehow amazing despite the casual clothing.

"Badly," Nick informed Nancy.

"Shouldn't you be helping?" Nancy raised her eyebrows. Nick scrambled to grab a tent pole. "Zoe, Lizzy, and I already got our tent set up," Nancy teased them. Frank looked around her to see that the large blueberry colored tent was indeed set up, complete with the water proof cover.

"I can help you," Zoe offered solemnly.

"Why thank you. That would be much appreciated," Frank told her.

Once the second tent was set up, Frank started building a fire while Nancy got out dinner supplies. Nick and Zoe played in the shallows of the stream while Lizzy napped in the tent.

"Do you think Nick will be okay sleeping in the tent with me?" Frank asked, wiping his hands on his jeans and coming to help Nancy.

"I think so. He sounded excited when I suggested it. But they're not used to sleeping in a different room than me," Nancy handed Frank some strawberries to slice. Her blue eyes met his dark ones, sparkling slightly. Frank put down the strawberries and drew her close. She sighed happily and let her head rest against his shoulder. They watched Nick and Zoe splash in the water.

"I can't wait to be part of the family," Frank said softly.

"You already are," Nancy told him. She smiled slightly, squeezing his hand.

* * *

Nick stepped out of the water, laughing as he scrambled up to the shore to escape his sister's splash. He paused and looked over across the stream. His mom and Frank were kissing. Nick smiled happily and let his toes sink into a patch of mud.

Suddenly he saw something which made his breath catch.

In the mud there was a perfect animal print.

_A cougar!_

Maybe even a North American Cougar! Nick quickly looked around to see if there were any other tracks. A little ways away, he found another one. And then another. Slowly but surely, Nick followed the tracks into the woods. And then suddenly they stopped.

There was something else in the woods. It was a little ways away from the last cougar track, catching the sunlight and reflecting it. Going over to examine it, Nick saw that it was some sort of metal contraption. It almost looked like an open jaw with jagged teeth. He crouched by it, examining it with curiosity, but careful not to touch it. Mom had told him not to touch anything unless he knew it was safe. And this thing didn't look very safe.

"Nick!" Faintly he heard his name being called. Thinking quickly, Nick grabbed a stick and pushed it into the ground near the thing, so he could find it again, and ran through the underbrush back towards the stream.

_**Please Review! Cute kitten purrs to those who do! :)**_


	3. Chaos Descending

_**Ahh! Quickly posting this chapter before I go rush around!  
Sorry it's on the short side!**_

_**You all are awesome! Thanks for reading! **_

_**Huge thanks to my reviewers of Chapter 2, Future Animator, Cupcake, Max2013, bhar, MySunshine0620, Smithy, VerityD, and wolfgirl1221! Also thanks to those who favorited or followed the story!**_

_**I have to go now!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Nick!" Nancy called worriedly. Zoe had trotted over, but her eldest was nowhere in view. She exchanged an uneasy glance with Frank.

"Nick!" Frank called, stepping towards the stream.

"Zoe, was Nick playing with you?" Nancy asked seriously.

"He was and then he wasn't there. I thought he came back," Zoe told her, blinking her blue eyes worriedly.

Suddenly Nick burst into view.

"Nick, where were you? We were worried!" Nancy exclaimed, giving him a hug.

"Sorry Mommy," Nick said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to wander off, but… but I found a cougar track! And some weird metal thing," Nick grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the stream. Nancy and Frank followed cautiously, Frank holding Lizzy.

"Don't step on it!" Nick yelped as Zoe almost walked right over the animal footprint. "See! There!"

Nancy examined the track. It almost looked like a dog print, except it had claw marks.

"We should ask Greg, he would definitely know," she decided.

"They go this way," Nick pointed, pausing to brush his red blonde hair back from his forehead. The seven year old led them without hesitation through the woods.

"There!" Nick whispered. "Next to the stick sticking up in the ground. I put it there."

Nancy looked and felt her stomach drop. It was a large bear trap, partially covered in leaves, the jagged edges shining in the weak sunlight filtering through the trees.

"Nick, step back," she said seriously. He scooted away from the trap, his blue eyes large with alarm.

"What is it?" he whispered.

"It's a bear trap. They're very dangerous and can hurt you very seriously. Frank, we need to disarm this."

"I know," Frank agreed. "But why is there a trap out here? This is a state park; a protected one. There isn't any hunting allowed."

"They're trying to hunt the North American Cougars?" Nick cried, looking as though his faith in humanity had been shattered. "But they're endangered!"

"We need to show this to Greg," Frank said, holding Zoe and Lizzy firmly back, a good distance from the trap.

"I'm going to spring it," Nancy decided.

Grabbing a large stick, and making Frank and the children back up, she carefully positioned herself. Then she poked the center of the trap.

There was a loud snapping noise as it clamped shut, and the stick was wrenched out of Nancy's grip and went flying. The trap had snapped the stick in half, the metal edges mauling and twisting the wood. Nancy felt slightly sick._ What if Nick had stumbled over this?_ She couldn't even imagine the damage the trap could do to a small child.

Hunting was one thing. Leaving a potentially crippling trap near a campsite was another thing. She silently gave a prayer of thanks that Nick didn't touch the trap and none of her children stumbled over it.

"We better find Greg as soon as we're done with dinner," Frank said as they walked back.

"Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy, I don't want any of you wandering into the woods anymore," Nancy said seriously, making eye contact with each of her three children. They nodded solemnly.

"But who would hunt a Northern American Cougar? They're _endangered_!" Nick exclaimed.

"I don't know. But we'll find out," Frank said grimly, meeting Nancy's gaze.

* * *

"Hey!" A handsome young man with tousled light brown hair and bright green eyes jogged across the parking lot.

Penny whimpered.

"Penny, it's Ben," Helen said calmly, rubbing the shaking girl's back. "He's our friend."

Ben had stopped and was standing a few feet away. Penny eyed him fearfully.

"I don't like him. Let's go." Penny tugged on Helen's hand. Helen saw the hurt look that flickered across her boyfriend's face.

She didn't know what to do.

It was a common feeling ever since the young woman had become Penny's foster parent. She had known that Penny would need special care and attention ever since she met the abused girl and taken her in. The scars were still there, and despite counseling and therapy, they still had to take it one day at a time.

Not for the first time she was torn between whether she should give in to her daughter's pleas or make her face her fear of Ben. She didn't want to make anything worse than it was.

"I can go," Ben offered quietly. Helen shook her head. They weren't going to make any progress if they avoided the issue.

"Let's go to the playground," Helen suggested.

Ben walked a good distance in front of them, and didn't approach Helen until Penny was playing on the swings.

"I'm sorry," Helen sighed, letting herself relax as Ben wrapped his arms around her.

"It's nobody here's fault," Ben said gently, kissing her cheek. He turned and caught Penny staring at him from the playground. She hid behind a pole when she caught his gaze. "Do you think she'll ever accept me?" Ben asked quietly. Helen could see the hurt in his eyes, despite how well he tried to hide it.

They had dated for about a month before Helen legally became Penny's foster parent, and Ben had initially been excited about the child entering Helen's life. However, it soon became apparent that Penny was frightened of him. The forced space that had caused was beginning to put strain on their relationship. Penny did not trust easily. To put it lightly. The only people she seemed truly comfortable with were Helen and Nancy Drew, Helen's best friend.

"Yes. She's got to at some point," Helen said optimistically, although she really wasn't sure. Growing up in an abusive situation for six years with nobody to show her love had made a mark that was hard to undo. However Helen continually saw signs of improvement each day from Penny.

"I hope so," Ben said quietly.

"My divorce papers came." Helen changed the topic. "Yesterday."

"That's great!" Ben exclaimed, giving her a big hug. Helen giggled. "How do you feel?"

"Amazing," she grinned.

"I have news for you too," Ben's green eyes sparkled.

"What?"

"I found a building for the restaurant!"

"You didn't!" Helen gasped. "Ben, that's amazing!"

"It's just a little expensive," Ben frowned slightly. "But it will be worth it."

"Has your loan been approved?" An accomplished cook, Ben's dream was to open his own restaurant. Now his dream was becoming a reality.

"Yes." Ben nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "But don't tell the boss. I want to keep working there until this is for sure."

"Of course," Helen nodded.

A piercing scream caused Helen to whip around right in time to see Penny tumble off the side of the play structure and onto the woodchips below.

The world seemed to go into slow motion for a moment as the girl fell to the ground, and Helen felt a fear like she had never felt before.

"Penny!" Helen gasped, running to the girl crumpled on the ground.

"My arm," Penny sobbed, lifting up her tear streaked face. Helen felt a jolt of relief that Penny was conscious and talking. "It hurts. Helen, it hurts so bad."

"Hold on," Helen carefully picked Penny up, avoiding the injured arm. "We're going to the emergency room. Just hold on." She tried to hold back her own panic as the small girl sobbed hysterically. Blood was dripping down from a cut on her elbow and where woodchips had pierced the skin.

"How can I help?" Ben asked earnestly, concern written all over his face. He stepped near Helen and Penny.

"Go away!" Penny screamed at Ben. "Go away! I hate you!" She broke down, screaming and crying, clinging to Helen as though her life depended on it.

* * *

"Hello Mrs. Stevens," Vanessa said, walking into the hospital room. She quickly checked the elderly woman's vitals. "How are you feeling?" she asked, ignoring the pain in her back. Her back had continued to ache, and worse, her abdomen had been cramping.

"Alright," Mrs. Stevens said, leaning back against her pillow. "When is your baby due?" she asked, her dull eyes suddenly brightening. Vanessa had noticed that almost all her patients seemed to be excited at the sign of new life when she walked in.

"August 18th, so we still have about two months to go," Vanessa said kindly, checking her clipboard and adjusting the IV in the woman's arm.

As she walked out of the room, her abdomen suddenly cramped violently. Vanessa gasped and her hands went to her belly.

_Was she having a contraction?_

"Vanessa are you okay?" Carrie, a fellow nurse touched her arm.

"I… I'm not sure," Vanessa said shakily. Back ache, cramps, pelvic pressure… why hadn't she put the signs together earlier? She was a nurse!

Would the baby be okay? They still had almost two months to go!

She gasped as another contraction hit her.

"Oh god, this can't be happening," Vanessa whispered. "Carrie, I think I'm going into premature labor."

Carrie's dark eyes widened, and she immediately helped Vanessa to a chair and ran to the phone.

"Vanessa, hold on," Sierra, another nurse, said, sitting next to her. "Take deep breaths. It's going to be okay."

"It's too early!" Vanessa gasped. And suddenly she was aware of wetness spreading through her maternity pants.

"Hold on. We're contacting an OB/GYN…" Sierra was saying. Vanessa stopped her, her face pale.

"Sierra, my water just broke."

_**Please review! *puppy eyes staring hopefully up at you***_


	4. Turmoil and Peace

_**Ahhh! I need to put this chapter up before I go!**_

_**Sorry for the late list but here's my HUGE thanks to my reviewers, Jaz Mitch, Wolfgirl1221, FreshKicks, Albany, j, Cecilia Haunt, Future Animator, Smithy, Max2013, SnowPrincess88, Caranath, and The Vulture!  
**_

_**Seriously, reviews make all the work worth it sometimes. So if you have a minute, even a short review can be very encouraging.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Sorry ma'am but this is a no parking zone," Joe said, pointing at the No Parking sign which was literally about a foot away.

"Oh my gosh, I am sooo sorry," the teenage girl gushed, blinking her large eyes at Joe. He felt a prick of annoyance. She was obviously trying to flirt with him.

This actually happened to him fairly often. Unfortunately.

"Can I see your license?" Joe asked. The girl looked flustered and ruffled through her purse. Glancing at the license, Joe saw she was a very new driver.

"Oh my god, are you going to give me a ticket?" Here the girl looked genuinely alarmed. Joe fought the urge to give her a ticket simply because she was annoying. He stuck to his usual policy with new drivers.

"Not this time. I'll let you off with a warning, but next time, pay attention to the signs."

"Oh I will. Thank you so much," the girl gasped dramatically.

His cell phone began ringing, and Joe quickly got into his police cruiser.

"Hello?"

"Is this Joe Hardy?"

"Yes, this is Joe. Who is this?"

"I'm calling on behalf of your wife, Vanessa Hardy. She has gone into premature labor, and has requested that you be here."

"I'm coming right now."

Joe flicked the switch on to his lights and siren and revved the engine.

"Vanessa!" Joe entered into the room, his face pale as he saw his wife lying in the bed, her face scrunched up in pain.

"Mr. Hardy." A doctor pulled him aside.

"Is she going to be okay? And the baby?" Joe asked frantically.

"Your wife should be fine. However, the birth cannot be stopped at this point, as the water has already broken. The baby is coming. We already have a unit set up for her, and she should be fine after some time in the NICU," the doctor explained quickly.

"So the baby will be okay?" Joe gasped with relief.

"We'll see how she's doing when she comes out, but she should be alright."

Vanessa let out a cry of pain, and the doctor left Joe. Joe raced to the bedside, pushing away his own fears as he took Vanessa's hand.

"Joe," Vanessa gasped, her brow beaded with sweat.

"It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay."

"It's so early," Vanessa groaned. Her grip on Joe's hand was crushing, and it increased as another contraction swept over her.

Doctors were crowding the room, and suddenly the baby emerged. There was a frenzy of activity.

"Would you like to see your daughter?"

She was tiny, her little fingers curled into a fist, and her mouth open, sucking at the air with little gasps.

"Alright we're taking her to the NICU," the doctor said as the nurse whisked the baby away. Joe hesitated, torn between his wife and daughter.

"Joe, follow them!" Vanessa ordered him, and Joe gave her one last glance before he jogged after the doctors.

"What's going on? Is she okay? Why are you putting all those tubes in?" Joe demanded. A nurse pulled him aside.

"This is standard with premature babies. We need to make sure your baby can breathe well, as well as checking other risk factors. Lungs develop last in a baby, so often premature babies have breathing problems. The doctors will assess her and let you know."

"She's going to be okay, right?"

"She's 3 pounds 4 ounces," another nurse called out. "She needs oxygen supplementation!"

Joe watched with wide eyes as the doctors began bustling around the baby.

Not the baby. _His _baby. His daughter.

He turned to the nurse that was standing with him and repeated his question.

"She's going to be okay, right?"

"Being born at 33 weeks is fairly safe. Her odds are very good. We just need to see how long she'll have to spend in the NICU. We're not going to take any chances."

Joe couldn't argue with that. But he could worry about it.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Hey."  
"How is she?" It was Ben, his voice low and husky.

Helen bit her lip and glanced at Penny, who was conked out in her bed, her thin body curled around a large bright blue cast on her arm.

"Totally wiped out by the pain meds, but she's fine. She broke the part of her arm that needed to be broken anyways. It was broken awhile ago but healed wrong. The doctors think that was why it snapped; it was a vulnerable place. So I suppose this is a blessing in disguise."

"And emotionally?"

"Traumatized. Scared. Clingy." Helen ran a hand through her brown hair. She worried her lower lip for a moment.

"How are you doing?"

"Alright. The Hardys are at the hospital. Vanessa went into premature labor, and I haven't heard how they're doing. Nancy and Frank aren't picking up their cell phones. I think they might be out of reception."

"I hope they're okay. Do you want me to come over?"

Helen glanced at Penny. She looked so peaceful at the moment, her blond hair tumbling around her face, dark lashes brushing against her cheeks in sleep. But Helen knew even the peaceful looking slumber could contain haunting nightmares that would cause the girl to wake up crying.

"I think I'll be heading to bed soon."

It was silent for a moment, and Helen knew right away that Ben knew she didn't want him to come over.

"I wish she would give me a chance." Ben's voice was even, but the undercurrent of hurt was evident.

"I know. But I can't really blame her… Ben, you haven't seen the scars…"

"I'll think of something," Ben decided. "There has to be something I could do for her, some way to prove that I won't hurt her…"

"Oh Ben, she might just need time," Helen sighed, glancing at the sleeping girl. "It took me awhile to move on from what happened to me. And my situation wasn't nearly as bad as hers."

She heard Ben sigh softly.

"I know. I'll let you go now. I love you."

Helen's lips trembled slightly as a rush of emotions hit her at those words.

"I love you too."

* * *

Nancy poked a stick into the glowing embers of the fire, feeling a rush of happiness as the beautiful morning sunk in. She had all day with her kids and Frank.

There was a zipping noise as Frank emerged from his tent.

"Good morning," he murmured, sitting beside her on the log.

"I'm liking the rugged look," Nancy commented, noting his stubble. Frank's dark eyes twinkled.

"I dig your war paint."

Nancy gave him a confused look. Frank reached out and wiped the black smudge of charcoal on her forehead off.

"Top of th' mornin' to ya!" a cheerful voice rung out. Nancy and Frank turned to see Gregory loping towards them.

"Good morning Greg," Frank stood up, and Greg clapped him heartily on the back.

"Swell fire ye got goin' there," Greg nodded approvingly.

"Nancy built it," Frank admitted, glancing at her. Nancy's blue eyes sparkled.

"Ah. Shoulda known. The ladies are the good fire builders."

"Greg, I think we're going to get along just fine," Nancy laughed.

"Course we are!" Suddenly Greg became serious. "Where are your kiddos? Somethin' fishy is goin' on here with those traps. I don't want nobody getting' hurt."

"They're still asleep. We got to bed late. They know to stay out of the woods though." Nancy paused. "Could I ask you if there are any other campers at the park?"

Frank shot her a quick look, his dark eyes suspicious. She shrugged innocently.

"Well, there's a couple out at site 12. A small family is at site 6, and there's one of th' regulars at site 3." Greg stroked his bushy white beard. "Probably was jest some hooligan from last seas'n ."

"Probably," Frank agreed congenially.

They exchanged some small talk then the elderly man gave his farewells and took off into the woods.

"He could be involved," Frank commented. Nancy nodded, rubbing her neck thoughtfully. "What are we doing?" Frank suddenly shook his head, a smile travelling across his face. "It could be anything. Let' s not make it into a full scale mystery."

"I agree," Nancy said emphatically.

"Agree about what?" Nick yawned, stumbling out of the tent he was sharing with Frank, still in his PJs.

"Frank thinks we should have the bacon for breakfast today before it goes bad," Nancy said lightly. "How was your sleepover with Frank? Did you sleep alright?"

"It was good," Nick said sleepily, coming to give Nancy a hug. "I love you Mommy."

"Love you too." She kissed his forehead, smoothing his messy hair. "Alright, why don't you get into your clothes and I'll go get Lizzy and Zoe up."

"What clothes?" Nick asked, trailing after her.

"How about your red t-shirt and those shorts you love? Hold on, I'll set them out for you." Nancy ducked into the tent.

"Can I wear my Spiderman shirt instead?"

"I think that would be fine."

Watching Nancy go through the basic tasks taking care of her children, Frank realized he had a long way to go before he would be fully immersed in the family. The children, only naturally went to Nancy first for almost everything. No matter how hard he tried, he might always be the second choice.

Maybe that was a bit of a premature conclusion. Maybe things would change when he moved in, leaving his in-between status of right now.

Not for the first time, Frank paused to worry about that. Chasing criminals was one thing, but getting small kids with a formerly abusive father to accept him as a new dad would be something else.

Nick emerged from the tent wearing his Spiderman shirt and a pair of jean shorts.

"Hi Frank!" he chirped, coming to sit next to Frank in front of the fire.

"Hey buddy!" Frank put his arm around the boy. "Ready for a whole day with just our family?"

"Yes! Maybe we'll see some cougars. Do you think any got hurt by any traps?" Nick asked earnestly.

"I doubt it," Frank said lightly. "Let's get breakfast started."

_**Please review! Cute kitten yawns to those who do! :)  
**_


	5. A Brief Calm

_**I'm sorry. This chapter is really short. I'm having a bit of writer's block, and I'm sad to say this isn't my best chapter. However, I will write up a storm and the next update will be more exciting, I promise! :)**_

_**Thanks to all my reviewers! Guest, VerityD, JazMitch, FreshKicks, Tubagirl2007, jarlcarriers, Future Animator, Wolfgirl1221, and Smithy! Big thanks to those who are reading as well!**_

_**Again, sorry for the short length, this is mostly filler. Excitement coming up!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.**_

Helen woke up with a start.

She sat up and tried to figure out what woke her up. The room was still dark, but a glance at the clock told her it was early morning.

_Maybe Penny had cried out, _Helen thought, sliding out of bed. This wasn't uncommon when Penny had nightmares.

A quick glance in Penny's bedroom told her the girl wasn't there.

Helen's pulse quickened, but she calmly headed to the kitchen. Sure enough, Penny was crouched in the corner, chewing on an apple.

"Penny?" Helen said softly. The seven year old jumped, her pale face turning to Helen and dark eyes huge.

"I'm sorry," Penny sobbed, turning away from Helen and hiding her face.

Helen took a deep breath. When Penny had first come to live with her, Helen had discovered that the girl would sometimes get up in the middle of the night and take food. Upon confronting the strange behavior, Helen had discovered that it was a habit developed in the girl's previous abusive environment. Often going without food, Penny had learned to sneak into the kitchen and take food as a survival tactic. The habit had faded after Helen had explained that food would always be there if she asked.

Which made the relapse concerning.

"Sweetie, it's okay," Helen sighed.

Penny was hiding her face, but Helen could tell it was from shame, not fear.

"Come here," Helen said gently, pulling the girl into her lap. Penny buried her face in Helen's shoulder, her unbroken arm clinging to her.

"I'm sorry, I know taking food is wrong, I just… I just was hungry and… I'm sorry," Penny sobbed.

"It's alright. I'm not mad at you. I just want you to feel safe," Helen said quietly, brushing some strands of blond hair out of Penny's tear streaked face. "Were you feeling upset because of your arm?"

"I think so," Penny whispered, looking down at the cast. "It hurts."

_Maybe the pain was bringing flashbacks,_ Helen mused.

"How about I write you a note on it?" she suggested. "Then you could read it whenever you feel sad."

"That would be good," Penny sniffed.

Helen stood up to get a permanent marker.

"Helen?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to see Ben."

Helen took a deep breath and uncapped the marker and began writing in big letters on the cast.

"Ben is a very nice guy. You should give him a chance. I promise he won't hurt you," she said.

"But…" Penny's lower lip began to quiver.

"All done!" Helen cut her off, capping the permanent marker. "Read what it says!"

"Helen loves Penny," Penny sounded out slowly, tracing the heart drawn on the bumpy blue surface with a finger.

* * *

"Hey sweetie," Vanessa murmured, gently touching her daughter's soft fuzzy head. Rose stirred slightly, her tiny fingers curling into a little fist.

It was killing Vanessa to see her baby attached to so many tubes. The doctors had decided that aid in breathing was necessary for the night.

"She's so perfect," Joe said softly, wrapping his arm around Vanessa's waist.

"I wish we could take her home," Vanessa sighed.

"Did you hear that Rose? You need to gain some weight and breath and learn how to eat so you can come home with us."

Rose moved slightly, and one of her little hands waved in the air and her swollen eyes opened, revealing the curious crystal blue orbs.

"She's looking at us," Joe gasped excitedly. "Hey sweetie!"

A doctor came in, and Vanessa and Joe instantly turned from the incubator which their daughter was nestled in.

"Good news. We're going to take your daughter off the breathing tube."

"She doesn't need it?" Vanessa took Joe's hand.

"She should be fine without it. We'll have her under observation just in case. However, before we can let your daughter go home, she's going to have to be at least 4 pounds, and able to eat and drink on her own. Often preemies suffer from complications and infections, many of which can be very serious, so the fight isn't over yet. We're going to do everything we can to avoid that though." The doctor looked serious.

"How long until she can come home?" Joe asked, his blue eyes flickering back to Rose.

"It all depends on the baby. However, you have at least a week here. If everything goes well." Doctor Morgan checked Rose over, then left.

"I wish Frank was here," Joe sighed.

"Nancy too," Vanessa added. "Did you try calling them again?"

"Yes. No answer," Joe frowned, running a hand through his blond hair.

He looked back at his daughter, who was now asleep. Despite the tubes and machines, he still thought she was perfect.

* * *

"Come on! I think I can see the river!" Nick cried, running ahead on the dirt forest path.

"Go ahead," Nancy called. "Just don't leave the path!"

She took Frank's hand, watching as Zoe and Nick scampered ahead. Lizzy trotted after them, her small feet unsteady on the uneven forest path which was bumpy with tree roots and sticks.

"Don't walk so fast," Nancy smiled, making Frank slow down to the pace of a very leisurely stroll. "When you have three children, you have to learn never to take a free second for granted."

"Duly noted," Frank laughed, squeezing her hand. They walked a bit in silence, listening to the distant laughter of Nick and Zoe. "I'm so glad we came out here. It's even nice not to have cell phone reception, once I got used to it," Frank admitted.

"Yeah. It's like being disconnected from the world, and finally being able to focus on the kids," Nancy agreed with a mischievous look.

"And?" Frank raised an eyebrow, stopping.

"And what?" Nancy asked innocently.

"Who else are you able to focus on?"

"Um, let's see, the kids…" Nancy theatrically stroked her chin.

"Who else?" Frank grabbed her and began tickling the back of her neck. Nancy laughed, and Frank twirled her around.

"Hmm, I guess there's my fiancée," Nancy murmured.

"That's better," Frank said, pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and met his lips with hers.

When they broke apart, Nancy paused to look at him. His handsome face was relaxed in a smile, and his dark eyes were shining happily.

"What?" Frank asked.

"You look really happy, that's all," Nancy smiled. "It's nice to see you relax."

"I guess I have been kind of stressed out lately," Frank admitted.

Suddenly Nick's yell filled the air.

Nancy and Frank exchanged a worried look and began running to the opening.

"Mom!" Nick yelled again. His voice sounded frantic.

A million different possible disasters flashed through Nancy's mind, with another bear trap at the top of the list.

Finally she found Nick.

To Nancy's relief, her son was crouched beside the river, looking perfectly fine.

"Mom! Frank! Another cougar print!" Nick exclaimed excitedly. "Isn't that cool!"

Nancy and Frank exchanged another look.

"Yup, he's definitely your son," Frank commented.

_**Please review! Feed the Muse! Encourage the Author! :)**_


	6. Skittles

_**OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY!**_

_**I missed an update! I had not enough written and I just decided to take a day off. Sorry, hope you all survived the extra wait!**_

_**This chapter isn't my best, but fairly happy with it. Next chapter will probably be all Nancy and Frank and the kids.**_

_**PUPPY KISSES TO MY AWESOME REVIEWERS! Thanks to Guest, JazMitch, The Vulture, Smithy, NF, Future Animator, bhar, Albany, Max2013, nooneimportant (not true, every reader is important to me :), lys, wolfgirl1221, ruth, and mai2bellsouth.n! (if I forgot you, let me know) You all are amazing!**_

_**Also, to NancyAustin, if you're still reading, I have fulfilled your request for a cat named Skittles.**_

_**And yes, I do use sentence fragments sometimes. Once in awhile. :D Hopefully this doesn't bother you too much :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Pepsi, or Skittles.**_

"Where's the baby?" Ivan asked, after Joe put him down. "Where's Mommy?"

"They're still at the hospital, buddy," Joe said lightly, taking his son's hand, and waving goodbye to his parents who were pulling out of the driveway. In the chaos of the early birth, Ivan had ended up with Laura and Fenton, who after coming to the hospital to check on everyone, had taken the little boy back to Joe and Vanessa's house. "Did you have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Yeah," Ivan gave a toothy grin. "But I missed you an' Mommy."

"I know buddy. I'm sorry. The baby came too early, so she's very small and needs to stay at the hospital for a while."

Ivan pouted at that as Joe got out some leftovers from the fridge.

"I want Mommy," Ivan said, his lower lip beginning to quiver.

Crap. He was facing a meltdown.

"What? What? I can't hear you!" Joe cupped his hand around his ear. "Daddy's getting to be an ooold man. Speak up, son," Joe wheezed.

"I said..." Ivan giggled. "I said... um... I want Mommy."

"Eh? What's that lad?" Joe leaned down.

"Stop it," Ivan laughed. "You can hear me!"

"No, I can't!" Joe tickled the back of his two year old's neck. Ivan shrieked with laughter, and Joe scooped up the blond headed boy, and held him under his arm like a football.

Once the hilarity had died down, Joe heated up the leftovers and fixed a sippy cup of juice. He put two plates on the table, a Pepsi for himself, the sippy cup for Ivan, and a fork for each. Stepping back to survey his handiwork, he nodded approvingly.

He glanced at his phone.

One message from Vanessa.

_ Rose is doing ok, going to go to sleep_

He quickly typed back.

_ Gnite, love you._

They were taking this one night at a time.

* * *

Penny popped a Skittle into her mouth, savoring the fruity flavor.

Candy never ceased to amaze her.

She glanced over at Helen, who was bent over some paperwork.

"Do you want one?" Penny asked, holding up the small bag of Skittles that Helen had bought her.

"No sweetie, you enjoy them," Helen barely looked up. She sounded tired. Penny frowned, fishing out a red Skittle, her favorite flavor. Maybe Helen was upset.

_But Helen never gets angry,_ Penny reminded herself.

The door creaked slightly, and Penny jumped, turning to see if someone was coming. She glanced back at Helen, who was still focused on her work.

"Did we get the mail today?" Helen suddenly looked up. "There was a letter from the foster care agency that should have come today."

Penny leaned back against the soft couch, picking out another red skittle.

"I don't think so."

"Could you get it for me?" Helen asked absentmindedly, turning back to her paperwork.

Penny gulped and glanced outside. It was still light, the some rays of sunshine still lingering from the sunset.

The word _no_ was lingering on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't get it out. She wanted to help Helen. Kids had to help out or they became a burden. That's what Johnny had always said.

A cold chill travelled up the back of her spine as she remembered what Johnny would do when she didn't help enough.

"Okay," she choked out, heading to the door.

Penny opened the door, glancing back at Helen.

She could do this. It wasn't that far. What would Helen think of her if she couldn't even get the mail? She was old, seven years old! Too old to be scared of being alone!

Penny stepped outside the door, forcing one foot in front of the other until her pace increased to a run. She yanked open the mailbox and grabbed the letters.

Suddenly a car drove by slowly, and Penny glimpsed the driver, a man with dark hair.

Penny felt her chest tighten.

She couldn't breathe.

The letters fell from her hand as her breathing increased.

She was dying. She couldn't move. Johnny was coming. Her chest ached.

She couldn't breathe.

She could hear her own gasping breath, and it only scared her more.

"Helen!" she called out weakly, dropping to her knees. Her voice sounded strange. _What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she breathe?_ She attempted another deep breath, and was met with a wave of panic as her tight chest wouldn't allow it.

_Exhale…Inhale…Exhale…_

She was going to die. Right outside the house. Seconds away from help. Her breathing increased.

_Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale._ Faster and faster.

She felt dizzy and sick. Her body was begging for oxygen that she couldn't get fast enough.

Suddenly something soft brushed against her. Faintly she heard the mewing of a cat.

It distracted her, and she focused her eyes on the cat in front of her, pausing between gasps.

The cat was sleek and grey, with large green eyes that gazed at her with intelligence. Then it turned and trotted away.

"No!" Penny gasped, her chest constricting again as she was left alone.

* * *

Helen jerked from her work as she heard an insistent scrapping noise at the door. _What is that?_ She wondered.

The scrapping noise continued and Helen got up and headed to the door. Opening it, she saw a small grey cat. She barely had time to wonder where it had come from when she noticed Penny.

The girl was bent over, breathing rapidly, tears running down her cheeks, face pale.

It only took Helen a split second to realize that Penny was having a panic attack. She needed to act quickly.

She knelt beside the small girl, touching her shoulder lightly.

"Penny, take a deep breath."

"Helen," Penny choked.

"Hold the breath for a couple seconds. Now let it out."

"I… can't breathe," Penny sobbed.

"Shhh, you're fine. Just take some deep breaths. Come on. Like your counselor taught you. In… now out."

"There..was… a man…" Penny tried to explain, between breaths.

"You can tell me later, honey. Did you know that a cat pawed on the door to get my attention?"

Penny's panic faded as Helen's words caught her interest.

"A cat?"

Sure enough, the grey cat was sitting right in front of them on the sidewalk, surveying Penny with its large green eyes.

Penny stuck out a shaky hand, and the cat sniffed it delicately before rubbing her cheek against it.  
"She's purring!" Penny gasped, carefully petting the cat, totally forgetting her panic. "Can we keep her? Please?"

Was this cat magic? Penny had calmed down in a record time. Helen glanced at Penny's face. Her dark eyes were lit up with excitement. This was crazy. Usually it took half an hour for the panic attack to recede.

"I don't know…" Helen said slowly.

But maybe Penny could use a companion, even if it was a cat. Just another living thing which she could focus on might be helpful.

_Animals are good for therapy, right? _

At this point, Helen was becoming desperate. Penny didn't seem to be improving, she frequently had panic attacks, she wouldn't talk about what had happened in her old home, and even the sight of a man terrified her. Helen didn't want her daughter to be stuck in such a terrified position, feeling unnecessary pain.

A pet was worth a shot.

Helen looked at the cat, who stared steadily back before blinking slowly.

Slowly realization dawned on her. _The cat had gone and brought her to Penny._ Did it somehow know that Penny needed an adult? How would it know? It was a cat.

Then again, Helen had heard a lot of amazing stories about animals helping people.

"Alright. If it doesn't have an owner, you can have her," Helen decided.

"Yay!" Penny squealed. To Helen's alarm, she scooped up the cat in a gentle hug. The cat seemed perfectly fine though. "I'm going to name her Skittles!"

"Great," Helen said absentmindedly, hoping she had made the right decision.

_**A full chapter of Nancy, Frank, and the kids coming up! Sorry again for this being late!**_

_**Cookie dough to reviewers!**_


	7. Shaky Ground

_**Again, numerous apologies! Our family just got an 8 week old puppy, and it's been crazy, especially added to everything else! This chapter is not my best, but hopefully it will suffice!  
HUGE thanks to my reviewers, Cupcake, Smithy, max3013, Artemis Antony, Magsforever, Future Animator, jarlcarriers, FreshKicks, and Nancy Austin/LeahRenee!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

Nick glanced at his mom and Frank, who were talking by the fire.

Technically he was supposed to be doing something quiet in the tent while Lizzy and Zoe napped, so they could all be energized for a fun evening. But Nick had figured out how to slip out the back of the tent.

_It's for a good reason_, he reassured himself. His parents weren't likely to understand the importance of making sure the cougars were safe. They wouldn't let him go out. But he had to.

He glanced back and realized that he had thought of Frank as one of his parents.

Nick took a step into the woods. He had to be careful of those traps. Quickly he made his way to a little opening upstream from the campsite. Squatting near the ground, he examined the print which he had found earlier.

Now it was time for him to do some investigating. If he could find a print, so could the poachers. His plan was simple. Find a trap, and then get his mom to come spring it so it wouldn't hurt anybody.

He followed the tracks, not quite aware of how far he was straying from the site, intently focused on the ground.

"Got it?"

Nick stood stock still.

"Yeah, that's a wrap. Let's head out."

Nick peaked out from behind a tree. Two men, dressed in camouflage, were adjusting what looked like a large metal cage. Nick gasped and pressed himself against the tree, his heart pounding.

Those were the poachers.

A stick cracked beneath his foot

"Did you hear that?"

Nick's blue eyes widened and he held his breath.

"Man, it's nothing. You're paranoid."

"No, I hear something," the first man insisted.

Too late Nick realized the voice was getting closer. A hand suddenly gripped his collar and pulled him out from behind the tree.

"I told you!"

Nick stared at them, and the two men looked at him.

"Let me go!" Nick finally found his voice. "You are both bad guys! You can't hunt North American Cougars! They're endangered!"

"Crap. What are we going to do now?" the man holding Nick said. "We can't let him go now that he's seen us."

"He's a kid. Nobody will believe a word he says. He'll say something about two hunters in the woods and nobody will take him seriously. And we'll be in major trouble if we do anything to the kid."

"We're not going to get caught. Nobody even knows about this. I'm not going to have some kid screw everything up. Nobody is going to find out about the hunting."

"My mom will! She's a detective, and so is Frank!" Nick said hotly, squirming futilely. "They'll hunt you down and put you in jail!"

"Listen buddy." The man holding him knelt down in front of him, still keeping an iron grip on the small boy's arm. "If you say one word to your mom and this Frank person, we'll come kill your mom. Do you know what this is?"

The man showed Nick his gun in his belt. Nick gulped, his eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"You stay away from my mom!" he said shakily.

"We will, but you can't say a word about this. And we'll find out if you tell her. We know everything that goes on in these woods. So do we have a deal?" The man's eyes were dark against his dirty tan skin.

Nick nodded, tears prickling at the back of his eyes. These men were like his dad. Mean and hurtful.

"Alright. Now get out of here," the man hissed, letting Nick go.

* * *

Nancy watched Zoe poke a stick into the fire, causing her marshmellow to burst into flames. As Frank scrambled to salvage the gooey treat, Nancy turned her attention once again to her son. The seven year old was sitting silently on the log, twisting his marshmellow stick in his hands. An untouched s'more was sitting on the log next to him. Ever since that afternoon, he had been acting strangely.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked Nick. He was pale, his face strained. Nick opened his mouth then abruptly shut it, and nodded, his blue eyes darting away from contact.

"Sweetie?" Nancy wrapped an arm around him, looking him in the eye. "Is everything alright?"

Again, he avoided eye contact, nodding.

Nancy bit her lip and exchanged a look with Frank. Something was wrong.

Frank opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly the ground began to shake.

* * *

"Mommy!" Lizzy screamed.

"Get them away from the fire!" Nancy cried to Frank, struggling to get to her feet. Frank managed to lunge at Zoe just as the girl began falling towards the flames.

"Mom!" Nick fell to his knees. Nancy wrapped her arms around him and Lizzy, positioning herself protectively over them.

There was a loud cracking noise above, and a huge tree limb crashed down, hitting the car and barely missing Nancy.

Quickly the shaking stopped.

"Stay down," Nancy said, sitting up cautiously. "Frank? Lizzy?"

"We're fine," Frank said. "That was an earthquake. There will probably be some aftershocks. Are you all okay?"

"Yes." Nancy carefully stood up, and helped Nick and Zoe up, quickly joining Frank near the stream.

"Mommy," Lizzy whimpered, and Nancy took her from Frank.

"That was an earthquake?" Nick whispered, his eyes huge.

The ground trembled under their feet for a moment.

"Aftershock," Frank said calmly, although Nancy saw the alarm in his dark eyes. "We're all okay, that's what matters."

"Mom! The fire!" Nick suddenly yelped.

In the chaos, a stick had fallen onto the fire, and was beginning to spread across the forest floor.

"Stay back!" Nancy warned, pulling off her sweatshirt, and plunging it into the stream. Frank followed close behind, and the two quickly beat down the fire.

Shaking from adrenaline, Nancy stood in the ashes, soot smudged on her forehead. Her gaze moved to the car, which was crushed under a branch, to the sticks littering the ground, to the ashes she was standing in.

"Let's go see if everyone else is okay," Frank said gently, wrapping an arm around her. Some of her unease left at his touch, but she still couldn't completely shake the feeling that something very dire was bearing down on them.

_**Please review :)**_

_**I will try my best to keep with the update schedule! Send a word of encouragement :D**_


	8. Grocery Store Disaster

_**OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY :(**_

_**School is winding down, and the work load is simply piling up! Still, I am not excusing my absence, simply apologizing. This chapter is pretty short, but I decided something was better than nothing. I'm going to try to put up another chapter tomorrow to compensate for that really long wait. **_

_**To those who inquired, I actually am both a dog lover and a cat lover. I find that cats and dogs have different strengths, which I appreciate. My dog and my cat both have a special place in my heart, for different reasons :) My dog is my best friend and my cat is kind of like a sister if that makes any sense :D**_

_**You all are so awesome! Thanks to all readers! A special shout out to my reviewers, Max2013, Smithy, VerityD, NF, Guest, Future Animator, bhar, Cupcake, Guest, and Wolfgirl1221! Thanks for your patience! (and welcome back Wolfgirl, I was about to put out a missing reviewer alert)**_

_**Disclaimer: I still do not own Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and never did.**_

"Are you almost done?" Penny leaned against the shopping cart, nervously keeping an eye on the people walking by, her cast positioned in a sling.

"Getting there. Could you find Ben for me? He's in the candy aisle, I think. You can pick something out if you want," Helen suggested, examining a box of pasta.

"I'll stay here," Penny bit her lip.

"Why don't you pick out a cat toy for Skittles then?"

"They have those here?" Penny's eyes lit up.

"Sure. I'll show you where they are," Helen smiled.

"She's going to love it," Penny grinned, following Helen. "Isn't she the bestest cat ever?"

"She is pretty amazing. But we still need to check if she has owners," Helen reminded her.

"Uh huh. Whoa! I wonder which one she'll like best," Penny's eyes widened at the selection of pet toys.

"I'm going to be in the other aisle, okay?"

"Okay."  
Helen headed back to her shopping cart when suddenly someone blocked her path.

"Hey Helen."

Helen's chest constricted as she gazed at her ex husband. _He was supposed to be in jail. What was he doing here?_

"You should be in jail."

"It's called parole, sweetie," Charley chuckled. His shaggy light brown hair looked like it could use a haircut.

Helen was still struggling to process what was going on. _They should have contacted me. But then again, would they have? _Technically, the abuse accusation had never been proved, and put to the side since it was clear Charley would end up in jail for involvement in the illegal drug ring. And now that they were divorced, she didn't really have a right to any of his information or a way to see it.

How could he be on parole after only a couple months?

"Stay away from me, we're over. The divorce is official." Helen turned, but Charley grabbed her arm.

"Hold on babe. I want to talk to you," he said, his dark eyes fixed on her face.

"Don't touch me," Helen warned, panic beginning to rise. She attempted to yank her arm out of his grip, but he had an iron grip.

* * *

Penny searched for Helen, a fuzzy feather toy clutched in her hand. She stopped dead when she spotted Helen.

A large man was holding onto her arm, and they seemed to be arguing.

Fear rose in Penny's chest, and her breathing hitched. That man was no good. She needed to do something!

But what could she do? She wasn't strong enough to help Helen.

Penny choked back a sob. Then she clenched her hands into fists and went to find Ben.

* * *

"Let go of her or I'm calling the cops."

Helen twirled to see Ben standing a little ways away from then, his cell phone held out meaningfully. His green eyes were hard as steel.

"Easy bud, we're old friends…" Charley started, loosening his grip.

"Don't even try that. I'm her boyfriend," Ben said, his voice low. "Now let go of her, or I swear to God, I will call the police right now."

"Her boyfriend…" Helen could see Charley's eyes narrowing. "Okay, okay," Charley let go of Helen's arm, and she quickly moved beside Ben, who wrapped a strong arm around her. "I don't know why you want her though. She's worthless. I'm telling you, she's just an ugly useless whiner. If you knew the things she's done, you wouldn't even want to touch her."

"Shut up," Ben growled.

"I'm just saying, man. Take it from somebody who knows," Charley pushed his hands into his pocket and strolled off.

Ben didn't say anything, but started after Charley, his eyes burning with intense anger.

"Ben, don't," Helen grabbed his hand. Her voice seemed to get through to him, and he turned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently touching her cheek.

"I'm fine." But Helen felt her throat closing with emotion. Even though she knew Charley's words were lies, they still stung, bringing back her old insecurity. She turned from Ben to hide the tears that were threatening to spill.

Ben swore softly.

"Helen, are you hurt?" he turned her to face him, his face creased in concern.

"Nothing physical. It's fine. I was just startled," Helen attempted a smile.

"It's not fine. He had no right to say those lies about you. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I wasn't here. What's he doing out of jail?"

"He said he was on parole." Helen took a deep breath. "Ben, really, I'm okay. Let's just find Penny and leave."

"You should find her, I'm sure she's hiding around here somewhere. I'm calling the court up as we get home. We'll see about that parole," Ben said grimly. He paused. "At least something good has come out of this."

"What?" Helen asked.

"Penny talked to me," Ben said quietly, a hopeful smile spreading across his face.

_**Again, thanks for your patience! So sorry for the long wait! **_

_**Please review! :) :D**_


	9. Trapped

_**As promised! Here's some Nancy/Frank action! We'll be getting back to Joe and Vanessa soon, promise! **_

_**Thanks for being so patient! Can't promise the next update will be on time, but I will try!**_

_**Huge thanks to my quick reviewers, Max2013, Future Animator, Wolfgirl1221, bhar, Cupcake, Albany, Smithy, Artemis Antony, Guest#1, and Guest#2!**_

_**(To Cupcake: I love your suggestion and am seriously considering it! I think Skittles might be having kittens near the end of the story, but shhhh don't tell anyone!)**_

"Hello?" Nancy called, stepping over a branch. "Is anyone there?"

The campsites seemed deserted. So far they hadn't found anybody. She glanced at Frank, whose dark eyes were worried. They both were trying not to panic. So far they were all safe. But they were also in the middle of nowhere with no means of transportation. They had to get to the ranger station. It was hooked up to a telephone wire.

Nancy glanced at Zoe, who was holding Frank's hand. She seemed alright. Nick was close behind, and his blue eyes were haunted in a way that alarmed her. Something had happened, and she wasn't sure what. Unfortunately, keeping them all safe came first. Which meant that talking to him would have to wait until they called for help. Besides, based on the several questions she had asked her son, Nick wasn't about to tell her what had happened.

"Are there even any other campers here?" Frank frowned, lifting Zoe over the branch.

"Greg said there were…" Nancy shifted Lizzy in her arms.

"Did we see any when we were driving in?" Frank put Zoe down on the other side of the branch.

"I definitely saw a tent or two," Nancy sighed. "But there aren't any today."

They froze as the ground shook slightly.

"Just another aftershock," Frank said calmly.

"Our car is crushed," Nancy said quietly.  
"I know."

"Mom, look!" Nick gasped, clinging to her shirt. Nancy and Frank looked up.

Where the rickety ranger station had been was a pile of rubble.

"Greg? Greg!" Frank called out, running to the debris. A piece of wood shifted beneath his foot and he narrowly avoided falling, a nail scraping against his leg. "Don't let the kids over here, there are nails!" he called out, wincing.

Frank's chest constricted. Oh god. This couldn't be happening. Was Greg beneath the collapsed building?

And what about the telephone, their only connection to the world outside these woods?

A low moan cut him off his thoughts.

"Greg?" Frank called.

A muffled sound answered him. Frank climbed through the rubble and began pulling planks away. Nancy set Lizzy down and ran to help.

"He's under here," Frank grunted, pulling away a support beam, glimpsing white hair. Luckily the station was rather small, or they would be in a much bigger mess.

"If I can hold up this piece of wood, I think you can pull him out," Nancy huffed. "Ready…" She pulled a piece of wood up, and Frank wrapped his arms around the elderly man and carefully eased him out.

"He's unconscious," Frank grimaced. "Alright, you can let it go."

The plank fell from Nancy's grip in a clatter, and she quickly moved to help Frank ease the man onto the grass.

"Mom, is he dead?" Nick whispered as Frank bent down.

"He's breathing, and there's a fairly stable heart beat. He was conscious just a little while ago, because we could hear him."

Nancy let out a sigh of relief, gathering Zoe and Lizzy closer.

"Injuries?"

"Not sure…"

"What's goin' on…?" Greg's blue eyes fluttered open. "All I remember was the earth givin' a might shake and suddenly I was trapped…" The older man blinked several times then attempted to sit up, before groaning and falling back, breathing heavily.

"What is it?" Nancy asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… it's nothin'. Jest my leg achin' a bit."

Frank and Nancy exchanged a worried look.

"Do you know if there are any more people out here? We looked but couldn't find any," Frank said.

"Well…." Greg looked sheepish.  
"What?" Nancy demanded.

"There ain't anybody else. The park technically closed yesterday fer refurbishment," Greg admitted.

"What?!" Frank growled. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Cause the park ain't going te be refurbished!" Greg burst out, carefully pulling himself into a sitting position.

"What do you mean?" Nancy asked, crossing her arms.

"I…. I mean, it'll still be awhile until the crew comes out here te fix up the paths an' all, so…so I felt bad 'bout kicking y'all out. When ye had jest come an' all. I figured ye could stay a couple more days," Greg coughed, his blue eyes sliding away from Frank's gaze.

"So it's just us."

Greg hesitated, then nodded. "Are the kiddos all okay?" he asked, glancing at Zoe and Lizzy and Nick.

"We're all okay. But our car got damaged, I don't think we can drive it. Do you have a car by any chance?" Frank asked, unease prickling his skin. Something here was wrong.

"Naw, all I got is a motorcycle," Greg grinned slightly. Suddenly his smile faded as his hand went to his pocket. His face paled. "My keys are gone."

Nancy and Frank turned to look at the collapsed station.

_Crap._

"Are we going to go home?" Zoe asked innocently.

"It looks like we're going to be here a little longer," Nancy answered slowly. Nick crouched next to Nancy protectively, glancing at the woods.

"Let's see if we can salvage anything from the station," Frank suggested. "Maybe a radio or something." He gave Nancy a meaningful look.

"Right," Nancy quickly agreed, standing up.

"I can watch the little 'uns," Greg said, his tan face tight with pain as he pulled himself towards a tree and leaned against it.

"No, it's fine." Nancy took Zoe's hand protectively.

She didn't quite trust Greg.

She was now fairly sure of her initial instincts. Under the innocent looking campsite, something sinister was going on. And now because of the earthquake, she and her children were stuck in it.

_**Mwahahahaha! **_

_**Please review! :) Kitten meows and puppy kisses to those who do!**_


	10. Worries

_**I am so sorry! So so so sorry! **_

_**I had a bunch of really important tests, and well the school year is winding down. (yes I am still in school) Anyways, I am so terribly sorry. Abandoning my story for weeks at a time was exactly what I didn't want to do. **_

_**A gigantic thanks to my amazing reviewers: Nancy r0cks, Guest, VerityD, raven678, random101, Cupcake, LeahRenee, wolfgirl1221, Smithy, Albany, bhar, max2013, Artemis Antony, and EDuse2! You are all amazing. As is The Vulture, who messaged me to ask when I was updating. You are are so encouraging, and I am so sorry (again) that I took so long.**_

_**The next chapter will be almost all Nancy and Frank and the kids, and will be up tomorrow!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.**_

"What's that?" Ivan asked, staring at a lady with a tube running to an oxygen tank beside her.

"That's something that helps her breath," Joe explained quietly. "Don't point, sometimes people don't like that."

Thankfully the woman didn't seem to hear.

"Why is that man in a moving chair?" Ivan asked loudly.

The man in the wheelchair glanced their way, and Joe winced.

"I'm sorry…" he began apologizing.

"My legs don't work right, lad," the man smiled at Ivan, not looking upset at all. Before Joe could stop him, Ivan headed towards the man, admiring the wheelchair.

"Why not?" he asked innocently. "Did you get an ouchie?"

"Something like that," the man chuckled weakly.

"Here, I'll fix it with a kiss, that's what my mommy does." Ivan kissed his hand then laid his tiny palm on the man's knee. "Does it feel better?"

The man's sunken eyes shone.

"Much better," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion.

"Michael Sharp?" a nurse called.

"God bless you," the man murmured, tousling Ivan's blond hair, then allowed the nurse to push the wheelchair away.

"Bye bye!" Ivan waved.

Joe swallowed and put his hand on his son's shoulder, drawing him close.

"Can I go say hi to the baby?" Ivan asked.

"I'm sorry buddy, but the hospital won't let us bring you up."

"But…" Ivan's blue eyes began to fill with tears.

"Ivan!"

"Mommy!" Ivan tore himself from Joe's arms and ran towards the blonde woman who had walked into the room.

Vanessa wrapped her arms around the small boy, holding him close.

"Hey sweetie," she murmured, kissing his blonde head. Her daughter's precarious position made her grateful that Ivan was healthy.

"I'm going up, okay?" Joe paused to kiss his wife. "How is she?"

"Stable, but she's having trouble eating," Vanessa sighed, her grey eyes clouding with tears. "The doctor says she can't come home until she can eat, plus she has to gain some weight. So it's going to be awhile." She swallowed with difficulty. "God, I don't know what's wrong with me. It's going to be okay. At least she's breathing on her own and there aren't any infections."

Joe caught her hand and pulled her into a hug.

"You're exhausted. You need to get some rest. How about you take the car, drop Ivan off with Mom and Dad and go home and get some sleep."

"I don't want to leave Rose..."

"I'll be with her. I'll call you if anything happens," Joe promised. "The doctor suggested you take a break for a little bit. You need to rest," he repeated.

"It would be nice to get out of the hospital for a little while..." Vanessa admitted.

"Great. I'll call ahead and let Mom and Dad know you're dropping off Ivan," Joe decided.

* * *

"Hi Helen!" Ben opened his door.

"Hey," Helen smiled, leaning to kiss him. "I hope you don't mind that we brought Skittles."

Ben looked past Helen and saw Penny carrying a sleek grey cat. Penny's dark eyes regarded him suspiciously as she clutched the cat closer.

"Is this Skittles?" Ben asked.

Skittles let out a small meow, her green eyes blinking slowly.

"I guess that's a yes," Ben laughed. A ghost of a smile almost flitted across Penny's face, then it returned to cold suspicion.

Ben felt a pang of disappointment, but he couldn't shake the optimism he had felt ever since encountering Helen's ex. Penny had gone to get _him_. Despite all her fear and suspicion, she had approached him for help for Helen. It was only a crack in her hard tall wall, but Ben was glad for something to work with.

If he ever encountered Penny's father, he would have a hard time not killing him.

"So how does Skittles like living in your home? Is she settling in?" Ben asked.

But Penny shrank away from him. Suddenly, Skittles began squirming in her arms.

"Skittles!" Penny cried as the cat jumped onto the ground. The cat meowed and rubbed on Ben's leg.

"She... she likes you," Penny said slowly, disbelief clear in her voice. Skittles meowed and rubbed her head against Ben's hand as he moved to pet her. He crouched down and stroked the cat's silky grey fur.

"Do you hear her purring?" Ben asked with a smile. Penny nodded and took a step forward. "Cat's really liked being scratched on their cheeks, but very gently," he said carefully. Helen was dead silent behind him as Penny approached Ben.

"Where?" Penny asked.

"Right here." Ben showed her. Penny copied Ben's movements and stroked Skittle's cheek. The cat began purring loudly.

"She likes it!" Penny grinned. Suddenly her hand brushed against Ben's, and she jolted out of her focus on the cat and realized how close she was to Ben. She grabbed Skittles and ran to Helen.

"Can we go play?" she asked, her eyes darting to Ben, who slowly stood up.

"Sure. Stay in the front yard where I can see you," Helen agreed.

Penny ran a ways away and began playing with Skittles.

"Did you see that?" A huge smile spread across Ben's face.

"Yes." Helen was also beaming. "I swear, Skittles is working miracles."

"I love that cat," Ben murmured. "I think I finally have a way to interact with her."

"That was amazing," Helen sighed. "I hate to change the subject, but I found out that Charley is out on parole like he said."

"We need a restraining order," Ben said in a low voice. Helen sighed, her dark eyes not meeting Ben's.

"I'm not sure if we'll be able to get one. He hasn't done anything yet."  
"He grabbed you in a grocery store! Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't been there!" Ben's face flushed.

"I don't know if that's enough. We don't have any proof anyways."

"What's wrong?" Ben asked softly, taking her hand. "Why are you acting so defeated?"

"I just thought Charley was out of my life. If we file for a restraining order, then I'll have to talk to him and go through a whole court case… We don't even know if he's going to ever approach us again." Helen pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"It'll be okay." Ben stroked her hand. "I just would feel safer if we had one. Will you at least think about it?"

"Sure." Helen leaned her head against his shoulder. "Did you hear about the earthquake?"

"It was all over the news. I'm glad it didn't affect Oakwood. Our buildings aren't made for earthquakes."

"I think it hit near where Nancy and her family went camping. I can't remember exactly what the site was called though."

"Really?" Ben's green eyes widened. "Have you heard from them at all?"

"No. It's been a couple days and I'm starting to get worried."

_**Please review! Rant at how annoyed you were that I didn't update in so long, say what you like about the story, what you hate, whatever! Again, sorry for the late update, and the next chapter will be up tomorrow!**_


	11. Heading Downhill

_**I have to run and do work, but here's the next chapter, as promised! Because I am in a rush, reviewers will be thanked in the next chapter! You are not forgotten!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys!**_

"Is it working?" Nick crouched next to Frank, who was examining the rusty hunk of metal that was Greg's motorcycle.

"It needs an ignition key," Frank murmured.

"Do we have the key?"

"No." Frank closed his eyes briefly and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"So what are we going to do?" Nick asked, his blue eyes wide. He glanced at his mom, who was searching through the remains of the ranger station. "Frank, this is a bad place."

Frank looked at the small boy, chills going up his back at Nick's words. There was a knowing look in the boy's wide blue eyes. All the usual happiness was gone from Nick's demeanor. He seemed to have reverted to the cautious boy from the abusive home. It was the boy Frank had not seen for a long time.

"What makes you think that?" Frank asked carefully, turning away from the motorcycle. Nick picked up a stone and tossed it from one hand to the next.

"It just seems bad."

No eye contact. He wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Nick?" Frank pressed gently.

"Where's Mom?" Nick cried, suddenly looking wildly around. "I didn't say anything! Where is she?" Nick's face paled and he stood up. "I didn't say anything!"

"Nick, calm down," Frank reached to touch his shoulder, but the boy scooted out of his reach.

"Frank, we have to find her!"

"Nick, what's going on?" Frank asked, grabbing his shoulders. "Please. Can you tell me? I want to help."

Nick stared at him, his blue eyes huge, but didn't struggle to get away.

"I can't tell you," he said slowly.

"Why not?" Frank asked, worry clenching in his chest. Something was definitely really wrong. "Did someone tell you not to?" he asked slowly.

"I can't tell you," Nick repeated agitatedly.

"Nick, please. Nobody is going to hurt you."

"Frank, I can't!" Nick cried, tears flooding his eyes. "Don't make me!" He tugged his arm from Frank's grip.

_What if those poachers had heard him talking to Frank and thought he was telling Frank about them?_ Nick felt a rush of panic.

"Mom! Mom, where are you?!" Nick cried, running away from Frank. He tripped and fell, scrapping his leg on a rock. Ignoring the blood running down his leg, he got back up and scanned the area wildly. "Mom!"

"Nick, what's the matter?" Nancy ran into view.

"Mom!" Nick wrapped his arms around Nancy's waist.

"Sweetie, it's okay. I'm right here. What happened?"

"I… I was worried."

Nancy shot Frank a look.

"Can you tell me what you were worried about?"

"I was just worried. I want to stay with you," Nick's hand slipped into Nancy's.

"Did something happen?" Nancy asked Frank confusedly.

"We can talk later," Frank sighed.

"Nick, your knee!" Nancy exclaimed, handing Lizzy to Frank. "Zoe, stay with me. Let's get that patched up buddy."

"Wait, Nancy, the motorcycle isn't starting," Frank said.

Suddenly an unearthly scream echoed through the air.

"I think that was a cougar," Nick whispered.

* * *

"Flashlights still working?"

"Thankfully yes," Frank said, pulling out his flashlight.

Nancy glanced at the tent, her face plunging in and out of the shadows of the fire. One flap of the tent was slightly open so she could just see the three sleeping forms of her children inside. She wasn't planning on letting them out of her sight.

"So, we're stuck here, with no communication, an injured man, and three children."

"I could go for help," Frank suggested seriously.

"And walk?" Nancy's brow furrowed. "This park is literally in the middle of nowhere."

"I know. That's why I should go. It might be awhile before the officials find us." Frank's dark eyes were worried.

"It would take you days to get to town. I don't think we should split up. What if something happened to me, then who would look after the kids?"

"Nothing's going to happen to you," Frank said firmly.

"I think you should stay. Joe or Helen will wonder why we haven't contacted them and come find us. It's safer staying together. Something here isn't right."

"I think someone threatened Nick. Or more specifically threatened to hurt you to keep him from telling us something," Frank murmured.

"Who?! Greg?!" Nancy's blue eyes flashed. "Who would do that? When would they have approached him?"

"I don't know."

It was silent for a moment, and Nancy shifted her position so she could see the tent again.

"There's someone out there." Nancy's voice was so quiet that Frank had to strain to hear it.

"So what are we going to do for food?" Frank asked, in a normal level, straining to see what Nancy was looking at.

"I think we have enough for a while. We might as well use up the perishables." Nancy made a hand motion, and Frank suddenly made out a shadow lurking behind a tree.

"What about clean water?" Frank asked, slowly standing up.

"Why don't you check? It's near the car," Nancy said calmly.

Frank walked slowly towards the car, approaching the tree.

There was a sudden crackling of branches.

"Hmm, I don't see the water."

"Oh, maybe it's in the car." Nancy got up and peered into the woods. "The person got away It's too dark to follow."

"But I think they think we don't know about them. That gives us at least a bit of an advantage," Frank blinked.

"Frank, this is bad." Nancy's blue eyes shone with worry, and darted back to the tent where her children were sleeping. "This is really bad."

"I know."

_**This chapter kind of gives me chills to be honest. At least, a little bit. **_

_**Leave a review!**_


	12. Things Get Hot

_**I AM SO SORRY I DID IT AGAIN**_

_**I said my work load was lightening, but I lied. Good news, school is over in 2 weeks! And I freakin' cannot wait! I love learning and all, but towards the end, it starts to feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall over and over again. **_

_**I'm actually not really happy with this chapter. So if you liked it, please let me know! That would be encouraging :)**_

_**You all are amazing. Big shout out to my ever patient reviewers, Cupcake, no-oneimportant, wolfgirl1221, raven678, Artemis Antony, SC15, Smithy, The Vulture, bhar, Max2013, j, Future Animator, VerityD, and Nancy r0cks! I wish I had the time to respond to each and every one of you. Your reviews mean so much. **_

_**Sorry again, and thanks for being patient. Again, let me know what you think of the chapter. Not my favorite, but I suppose it'll do in a pinch. It certainly makes things more interesting :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. And I know very little about forest fires. **_

Nick woke up, surrounded by his sisters and sleeping bags. Zoe was conked out beside him, her red blonde hair falling into her face. Nick sat up, making sure Lizzy was also there. He gently touched her tiny hand.

Suddenly the weight of the situation dawned upon him. They were trapped in the woods, and his mom's life was under threat. He scrambled out of his sleeping bag and hurtled towards the tent flap.

"Mom?!"

"Shh, she's asleep."

Nick found Frank sitting on a log, his mom slumped against his shoulder. Both looked exhausted and rumpled. The clearing was bathed in weak light, and smoke was slowly curling up from the remains of the fire.

"Good morning," Frank smiled tiredly. "Are the girls still asleep?"

Nick glanced back, then nodded.

"Nick, we need to talk." Frank patted the log beside him invitingly. Nick slowly went to it and sat down. "Listen, we already know there's someone out there. Did they threaten you?" Frank asked quietly.

Nick's blue eyes filled with tears.

"Buddy, I don't want to make you upset," Frank said gently. "Nick, whatever it is, we can deal with it."

Nick took a deep breath. Sudden a thought hit him. If he told Frank, then Frank could protect his mom! Frank would keep her safe. That made up his mind.

"I... I went into the woods. There were two men setting up a trap. I hid but they found me, and they said if I told anybody, they'd kill Mommy. One of the men, he showed me a gun and asked me if I knew what it was," Nick whispered. "But I'm telling you, because you can keep Mom safe."

Frank's face had darkened as Nick spoke. The knowledge of the danger that Nick had been in was washing over him in a wave of fear. He could have lost Nick, just like that.

"Thanks for telling me," Frank said calmly, inwardly shaking with anger. He pulled Nick into a hug, and the boy buried his face in his sweater. "Don't worry, it'll be fine," he promised.

Those poachers would stay away from his family if they knew what was good for them.

That was when Frank smelled the smoke.

* * *

"Forest fires are sweeping across the midwest. Authorities are certain the blaze was caused by the recent earthquake..."

Joe frowned and turned off the TV and glanced at Vanessa, who was leaning back against the couch, Ivan in her lap.

"Wait, Joe, turn it back on," Vanessa said suddenly, her grey eyes widening.

"What?"

"Joe, turn it on!" Vanessa barked, and Joe scrambled to find the right button on the remote. The screen lit up again, showing a close up fire consuming a forest, then switching to reporter standing by a map.

"What is it?" Joe asked again, tense. Vanessa was staring at the TV intently. Joe followed her gaze to the map. Suddenly it clicked.

"Oh god," he whispered.

"Have you heard _anything_ from them?" Vanessa asked quietly.

"No... With everything that was going on... Rose..." Joe ran a hand through his blond hair.

"Who?" Ivan chirped, snuggling up against Vanessa's chest.

"Frank and Nancy," Joe said numbly.

"That's a big fire," Ivan observed. His words caused Joe's eyes to dart back to the TV.

_"The fire, believed to have been started from an electrical fire that occurred when a remote building collapsed in the quake, is sweeping through the forests, an event which is unusual for such a northern location. Towns in the area are being evacuated as firefighters search for victims in the forests. The fire is out of control, continuing to sweep across the forests..."_

"I..." Joe was truly torn. Should he stay here with his daughter, whose fate was still uncertain, or go out and search for his brother and family? Or he could just call the authorities... But he had never liked relying on strangers when it came to the fate of someone important to him.

"You need to go." Vanessa answered his question for him.

"But Rose..." Joe felt like he was being ripped in two. His perfect daughter... what if something happened while he was gone?

"Rose will hang on for her daddy. She's breathing on her own, and the doctors are saying that her chances are growing immensely. You know that. And even if Frank and Nancy are perfectly safe, we need to know. Because..." Vanessa trailed off.

_Because they might not be._ Joe finished her sentence.

* * *

Frank glanced at their camp fire. It was basically dead. He sniffed the air again. There was definitely smoke somewhere.

"Do you smell smoke?" he aske Nick. The boy nodded. An uneasy feeling twisted in Frank's gut. He stood up.

"What's up Frank?"

Frank turned with a start to see Nancy stretching and blinking away the sleep from her eyes.

"I can smell smoke. Not from our fire," Frank said uneasily. Nancy's blue eyes flashed and she stood up.

"Get Greg," she ordered, moving quickly to the tent where Lizzy and Zoe were still sleeping. She pulled open the flap and crawled partially in. "Lizzy, Zoe," she said gently. Two sets of blue eyes slowly opened.

"Mommy," Lizzy reached for her.

"Time to get up," Nancy said cheerfully, but inside her chest was growing cold with fear. If there was smoke... She shook her head. It probably was nothing. She was jumping to conclusions.

She picked Lizzy up and hastily escorted Zoe out of the tent. Frank was talking to Greg, who was leaning heavily on a stick, with Nick standing pale and drawn nearby.

"Everyone be quiet," Greg ordered. A silence fell upon the camp, all eyes on Greg. His crystal blue eyes were slightly narrowed, and the only movement was the wind in his bushy white hair. And then Nancy heard it. A faint roar.

"Forest fire," Greg hissed.

* * *

The roaring was getting louder, and Nancy could smell the smoke, which was beginning to darken the sky.

"C'mon," Nancy urged Zoe, who was clinging to her hand and struggling to keep up as they ran through the woods. Adrenaline pounded through her veins as she frantically scanned the forest for the river that Greg had instructed her to find. The creek was too shallow. Nancy glanced back, biting her lip as she thought of Frank helping Greg, probably far behind them. She shook the thought out of her head. They had both agreed the children were first priority.

The roar was getting louder. They weren't going fast enough.

"Lizzy, hold onto my neck," Nancy ordered, scooping Zoe up in her other arm so that she was holding both her daughters. "Nick, stay close to me!" Nancy broke into a run, making sure that Nick was right beside her.

They had to make it.

"Where's the river?!" Nick shouted. Smoke was beginning to cloud the area as the fire came closer.

"Just keep going!" Nancy yelled, fighting her way through the underbrush. Sticks ripped at her skin, and she tried her best to take the brunt of the scrapes rather than her daughters. Suddenly she broke into a clearing.

The river.

Thank god.

The river was cold, wide, and deep. It would be their safe haven.

"Nick?" Nancy checked to make sure the boy was with her.

Her son was nowhere in view.

A fear like she had never felt before clawed at her chest.

"Nick!" she screamed, whipping around to face the woods from which they had come. The roar was louder, and she started feeling the heat against her skin.

Oh god. Oh god. This couldn't be happening. They must have gotten separated in the woods.

"Nick!" she screamed again. No answer. Lizzy and Zoe were both crying in her arms, which were beginning to ache from their weight. "Nick!" Nancy stumbled into the woods, looking around wildly.

The heat was growing. Oh god. She had to go back to the river. She couldn't leave Zoe and Lizzy. They were too small, and she had to keep them out of reach of the fire. But she couldn't leave her son.

Nancy watched helplessly as the smoke began to billow from the woods, stinging her throat and eyes, and she finally retreated back to the river. She hated herself for every step she took towards the water. But she knew that she had to keep Lizzy and Zoe safe as well. They couldn't be left in the water by themselves. She splashed into the water, struggling against the current to get into the deeper water. Her arms were aching. She was numb all over. She pushed herself deeper into the water. They had to get as far from the fire as they could.

_Oh god, Nick._

**_Like I said, makes things interesting. Let me know what you think! Feel free to yell at me!_**

**_Hey I just met you. And this is crazy. But here's my story. Review me maybe?_**


	13. Among the Ashes

_**This is a really fast update since I don't want to keep you hanging! I haven't had time to write a whole chapter, so hopefully this will suffice for now. I had a pretty rough weekend. My cat was shot with a BB gun. Thankfully she wasn't killed, but she might have to have her eye removed. She's going to see the optometrist tomorrow. Needless to say, I'm pretty furious about this. We don't know who shot her, but it was clearly deliberate. So that's what happened to me this weekend. (If you want to see what my cat looks like, she's been my profile pic on the site for awhile) Hopefully your weekend was better!**_

_**Since I'm pretty rushed, my amazing reviewers will be thanked in the next chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

One moment, his mom was right beside him, and the next, he was alone in the smoke and undergrowth. He had gone around a tree, instead of squeezing by it, and in that moment, he had lost her.

"Mom?!" Nick yelled, turning around. He couldn't see her. And suddenly he wasn't sure which way the river was. "Mom!" he cried, but his voice sounded so small. He coughed, wiping his eyes from the sudden stinging. He decided to go the left, running through the trees, branches scraping against his arms and legs.

"Mom?!" he cried, breathing heavily. The roar was growing, and he looked over his shoulder.

He had to keep going. Nick forced himself forward. A squirrel scampered past him. "Mom!" he called desperately. What if she was trapped and needed his help?

"Nick?!" a voice called out through the smoke.

"Frank?" Nick stopped, pausing to cough. Small woodland creatures were fleeing the flames, a chipmunk almost scampering over his foot.

"Nick, what are you doing here?!" Frank gasped, suddenly crashing through the underbrush. His dark hair was unruly and ashes were streaked across his face. Greg was not with him.

"Frank!" Nick burst into tears as he ran towards the man.

"Where's your mom? Is she okay?" Frank asked frantically, hugging the boy close.

"We got separated..." Nick sobbed.

"Hold on, we have to get out of here." Frank knelt down. "Get on my back."

Clinging to Frank's neck, Nick glanced back.

He could see the flames. They were roaring and licking at the trees, moving faster than he thought was possible.

"Frank..." Nick whimpered.

"Hang on!" Frank weaved in and out of the trees and finally burst into the clearing. Pure adrenaline was fueling his movement. The forest behind them burst into flames as Frank splashed into the water. "Get down!" Frank yelled. Nick took a huge gulp of air and let Frank pull him under the water.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked, dragging herself towards the shore.

"Wet," Lizzy screwed up her face.

"I'm okay Mommy." Zoe said, her wet red blonde hair plastered to her skin. Nancy looked around, her heart sinking at the wasteland that surrounded them. Burnt land, foggy with smoke surrounded them. Except for an occasional tree or two, skeletal blackened trees was all that was left of the lush forest.

She carefully put down Zoe and Lizzy, seating them on blackened stone near the water and slumped down next to them. Heat was still radiating from the ruins.

What now? She felt numb and exhausted.

Nancy couldn't stop the tears that slipped from her eyes. Nick... Frank… She buried her head in her hands. This wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be safe. Safe and happy. A chill traveled down her spine as she pulled her daughters closer. With no food, no shelter... How long would they need to survive on nothing?

She couldn't think about Nick. She had to just believe that he was okay otherwise she was just going to break down. And Frank… He was a grown man. He could look after himself.

Nancy wrapped her arms around Zoe and Lizzy. She would protect them if it was the last thing she did.

"Easy buddy." Frank helped Nick climb on shore. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Nick said bravely, shivering slightly. His wet shirt clung to his skin as water dripped down from the ends of his strawberry blonde hair. Frank looked similarly soggy.

Nancy and the girls had to be okay.

He needed to find her.

Frank glanced at Nick.

"Do you think your mom was near the river when you got separated?" he asked, peeling off his shirt and wringing the water out.

"I don't know," Nick said miserably, copying Frank and taking off his shirt to dry it. "Everything's so burnt."

Frank followed the small boy's gaze and had to agree. The vast amount of burnt trees was numbing.

"Where's Greg?" Nick asked after a moment.

"He made me leave him down in the stream. He said he wouldn't be able to get to the river with his leg."

"Oh."

"He's a tough guy," Frank said slightly hollowly. There had been no choice. Greg had sat down and refused to move, and Frank had to decide to move on or have both of them die. Despite his misgivings, Frank had to consider the man a hero of sorts. After all, he wouldn't have found Nick if the man hadn't insisted on staying behind.

"Do you think my family made it to the river? They're going to be okay, right?"

Frank was silent for a moment.

"I don't know buddy. We'll do our best to find them."

_**I'll do my best to get the next chapter up soon! Please review! **_


	14. Intruders and Interstates

_**Gah! It's been so long! I am so so so sorry. The good news is that I am done with school! So we should have a smooth sailing on updates for awhile! Thanks for sticking with me. I never intended to be one of those authors to take a long time to update, but somehow it happened. My sincere apologies.**_

_**Quick update on my cat: She did indeed lose one of her large gorgeous blue eyes. However, she is recovering from surgery and feeling a lot happier now that it is out since it was causing her pain as it was ruptured in the back. She didn't have sight in the eye as a result of the bullet, so it was the best thing to do for her. Thankfully, Lily (my cat) seems psychologically undamaged which is a huge blessing. If you know anyone with a BB gun or have kids that play with BB guns, please teach them not to shoot at animals, especially animals that are a part of someone's family. The consequences are huge and impact the whole family, financially and emotionally. **_

_**Okay, I'm done with my little spiel :)**_

_**This is a nice long chapter for you all. I promise not to leave you hanging for too long.**_

_**Huge thanks to my amazing reviewers: pen4lew, daisy, The Vulture, Guest, raven678, Guest #2, wolfgirl1221, bhar, max2013, Albany, lana, Smithy, Wendylouwho10, inlo, jarlcarriers, Jabba1, Future Animator, Cupcake, VerityD, Artemis Antony, Guest #3, Guest #4, Guest #5, no-oneimportant, and ILUV ZAMMIE andDanTrixie! You all are amazing!**_

_**Quick fun fact: One of my regular reviewers is my sister... Do some sleuthing, I bet you can figure out which one!**_

_**Alright, finally the chapter. Please review! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.**_

_**Let me know what you think!**_

"Hi, Claire! This is Helen…"

"Did you ask her yet?" Penny whispered. Helen shook her head slightly.

"Hi! Good. Well, we recently got a cat, and Penny is completely attached. She wants to bring her to her counseling session, but I told her we had to ask you. If it's not possible, we totally understand… Really? Great! Thanks! I'll tell her. Alright. See you later."

"What did she say? What did she say?!" Penny asked excitedly.

"She said yes…"

"Yay!" Penny beamed. "Did you hear that Skittles? You get to go see Claire with me!"

"But," Helen continued. "You'll need to have your session outside so cat hair doesn't get in the room since she might have other kids that are allergic."  
"Okay!"

Helen doubted that Penny even heard what she said. Once again, they had the house to themselves, with Fenton and Laura out with Vanessa and Joe. There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get that," Helen said absentmindedly.

Helen opened the door, and immediately tried to close it when she saw the face of ex-husband.

However, he managed to wedge himself into the door.

"You don't look happy to see me."

"Get out Charley. Just get out," Helen hissed, her heart pounding. "I already told you, I don't want to see you again!"

"Helen, c'mon. We both know that we were perfect for each other..."

"No we weren't. Listen. I've moved on. I have a boyfriend, a daughter... You are no longer in my life. Get out of here before I call the cops."

"You little... How dare you threaten me!" Charley growled, throwing open the door. He grabbed Helen's wrist. "You need to be taught your place. That redhead has really changed you. Maybe I should teach her a lesson too..."

"Leave Nancy alone!" Helen tried to twist her wrist out of his grip and slam the door, but the man had already forced his way into the house.

"Helen!" Penny screamed, fearfully peaking into the room, her eyes huge.

"Penny, get the phone and call 911!" Helen yelled before Charley's sweaty hand clamped over her mouth. She bit the hand and was rewarded by a shouted curse.

The world spun as she was slammed into the wall, a wave of pain washing over her body. She bit back a groan and managed to pry her eyes open to see Charley running towards the kitchen. _Where was he going?_

There was a high pitched scream.

Penny.

Helen managed to pull herself to her feet, panic and fear rushing through her veins.

"Stay away from her, you sick bastard!" Helen yelled, running into the kitchen, mentally cursing herself for placing Penny in the line of fire by telling her to get the phone. She should have just told her to run. _Oh God, what was going to be the consequence of her mistake?_ Helen tripped into the kitchen, her head spinning. Penny was cradling the phone in her arms while Charley slowly backed her into a corner.

"Hand over the phone and nobody will get hurt, kiddo."

Penny's back bumped against the wall.

"Charley!" Helen flew towards him, grabbing his arm and hanging on. "Leave her alone!" she yelled.

"I need that phone," Charley growled, brushing her off easily.

"Helen," Penny sobbed, but clutched the phone close.

"Listen, Charley, I'll get the phone, don't touch her!" Helen said desperately.

"I don't want any calls to the police!" Charley shouted, lunging at the girl.. Penny cringed back as Charley's hand collided with her cheek in a loud slap.

"No!" Helen yelled.

"Shut up Helen!"

She ignored him, struggling to get past him, but he knocked her back against a kitchen counter. She hit it hard and crumpled to the floor.  
"Helen!" Penny screamed, her dark eyes streaming with tears. She looked at the man towering in front of her. Suddenly a new light filled her eyes and a determined look settled on her small features. Quickly but deliberately she typed the three numbers into the phone.

"Give me that!" Charley lunged towards her. Suddenly a streak of black shot across the room.

"What the hell?!" Charley swore, and then cried out in pain as Skittles' sharp claws dug into his leg. He kicked the cat away, but she beelined straight towards him again, hissing and growling.

_"This is 911 services, what is your emergency?"_ a faint voice emanated from the phone in her hand.

"There's this man," Penny gasped into the phone. "He's attacking us…"

Charley had managed to kick the black cat into a room and slammed the door. He turned, his eyes locking on Penny.

_"Where are you? Is anyone hurt?" _

"Get back here you brat!" Charley yelled, clambering over chairs. "I'm going to kill you!"

Penny tripped and the phone clattered out of her hand across the floor. Charley got to it before she could scramble to her feet, and he crushed it easily under his foot. While he did that, Penny scampered back to the kitchen, her heart racing. Helen was still on the ground, unmoving. There was blood trickling down the back of the gentle woman's head and her brown eyes were closed.

"Helen, please, wake up," Penny begged, shaking her. "Helen, please!"

"Gotcha." A strong hand grabbed the collar of her shirt. Two gleaming green eyes regarded her face and Penny felt the panic once again return with its paralyzing affect.

For a moment, Charley's eyes gleamed with malice. Then the look faded and his face crumpled.

"What am I doing here, all I wanted to do was see Helen..." His eyes darted to the woman still lying on the ground. "What have I done?" he moaned.

In the distance, the wail of sirens became audible.

His expression hardened again. "I'm not going back to jail."

That thought stiffened his resolve.

"Let me go!" Penny had finally gotten her mouth to work again and she wriggled in vain against the man's iron grip.

"I'm not going to jail!" Charley shouted, shaking the girl. "You hear me?!"

The sirens were growing louder. Charley licked his lips and looked around. He made his choice.

* * *

Joe slowed his car and frowned as he surveyed the back up of cars on the highway.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he groaned. He liked going fast. Really fast. Traffic was not his thing. "C'mon!" he grimaced and barely avoided rear ending the car in front of him.

If Frank was there, Frank would tell him to calm down in his infuriatingly rational manner. _Yelling isn't going to move the cars._ His brother had only told it to him a million times.

The thought caused his lips to twitch upward, but he quickly lost the smile when he saw the wisps of black smoke rising in the distance.

His brother, Nancy, and the kids were somewhere out there.

After going through Frank's things, he had located the exact location of the camping site Frank and the Drews were headed to. It had been right in the path of the forest fire.

That made up his mind. Joe reached under his seat and grabbed the portable siren which he used for undercover cop jobs. He slapped it on the top of his car and switched it on. This was an emergency.

"Yeah! That's right, suckers!" Joe grinned as the cars pulled over to let him by. Soon he realized what the backup was. The highway was blocked off and police officers were directing cars to ramps. Joe skidded to a stop at the makeshift barrier and got out of the car, approaching one of the police officers there, fleetingly wishing he had his suit.

"Officer Joseph Hardy," Joe said tersely, pulling out his id. "I have to get past this barrier…" Joe stopped, suddenly recognizing the young redheaded officer in front of him. "Stan?"

"Joe? What are you doing out here?" Stan grinned from ear to ear, and they exchanged a manly hug. The two had met at a cop convention and fallen into an easy friendship.

"Man, it's good to see you! Wow, this is crazy," Joe laughed, looking around. "You must be over your head with work because of the fire. This barrier up because of it?"

"Yeah, it's insane. We're rerouting traffic away from the burn sites."

"Listen, I'm going to cut to the chase, partner. I need to get past this barrier," Joe became serious.

"Joe, you know I'd do that for you if I could…" Stan looked apologetic, pushing a hand through his bright hair.

"I know. But listen, I'm going to be honest and not pull off any of my fake mission bs on you. I don't have orders to come out here. My brother was out camping here with his girlfriend and her three small kids. We haven't heard anything from them. They're out there. And I have to find them. Please Stan, I'm going there one way or another," Joe pleaded.

Stan was silent for a moment. Then he turned away.

"We got a cop that needs to get through. Move those barriers," he yelled.

"Thanks man," Joe clasped Stan's hand. "I promise, I'll make sure this doesn't sting you."

"Find those kids Joe," Stan said seriously. "And stay safe."

"You got it," Joe promised. "I'll be in contact." He clapped Stan on the back then got back into his car. He zoomed through the small opening that was made in the barriers, flashing his lights. Then it was just him and the completely empty highway. Joe allowed himself a smile and stepped on the gas. The highway was all his.

This was going to be fun.

**_Sorry about the lack of Frank/Nancy. They will be in the next chapter. And I'll let you know what happens to Penny and Helen. _**

**_Please leave a review!_**


	15. Where There's Smoke

_**Heyy! How about it? A semi on time update!**_

_***Pats myself on the back***_

_**Alrighty then, let's get onto my amazing reviewers! Huge gigantic thank you to The Vulture, Cupcake, raven678, VerityD, paaps, Albany, Smithy, Dreamer1218, max2013, NF, wolfgirl1221, and Wendylouwho10! And thanks for all the kind wishes to my cat. She is feeling a lot better and even attacked my hand today, which is a good sign :) (cat owners will understand)**_

_**I hope this chapter makes sense. I'm not going to lie, I was almost tearing up at the very end. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. I do own an awesome one eyed cat. Um sort of. I'm pretty sure nobody actually owns a cat. **_

"We'll follow the river," Frank decided, pulling on his shirt. "If… I mean, they would have gone to the river to avoid the fire." His chest tightened, but he refused to dwell on the possibility that Nancy might not have found the river.

"Yeah," Nick coughed miserably. The smoke which was still hanging around was irritating their lungs. "They would have found the river."

"Alright, ready for a hike?" Frank said cheerfully, standing up. _They were going to be fine_, he tried to reassure himself. _It would only be a bit of time until they found their way out. They had a water source, in a worst case scenario they could survive for days, if not weeks._

"Let's go," Nick agreed, his blue eyes darting around. "But which way are we going to go?"

Good question. Frank glanced around at the ruins of the magnificent forest, trying to mentally form a map of where they had been and which way Nancy had gone.

"Upstream," Frank decided.

They began walking. It was hard going, with rocks and debris twisting under their feet, dead branches scratching at their legs.

"Frank, can we stop for a little bit?" Nick asked, tears of exhaustion welling up.

"Of course. You doing okay?" Frank helped the small boy to a slightly singed rock. Ashes and dirt were streaked across Nick's fair skin.

"Frank, I'm scared."

There was no need to ask why. Frank sighed and sat down next to the boy.

"I promise, we'll be okay…"

Suddenly they heard voices.

"Mom?!" Nick jumped up and tore through the underbrush.

"Nick, hold on…" Frank sprinted after him. They burst into a clearing.

A grisly sight met their eyes. Pelts of some sort of animal were lying out, and twisted bits of metal, traps, and cages were scattered about the burnt ground.

"Don't move." Frank felt the cold barrel of a gun on the back of his neck.

* * *

Ben whistled cheerfully as he turned the corner to Helen's house. Well, Helen and the older Hardy's house. Things were finally looking up. Ben glanced at the bag of cat toys and treats he had picked up at the store. Skittles was now his all-time favorite cat. Because of her, he had actually been able to reach Penny.

Ben parked his car and got out, grabbing the bag.

_Was that smoke he smelled?_

Odd. As were the sirens in the distance that seemed to be getting closer. A wave of unease washed over the young man and he dropped his bag and jogged to the door. He rang the doorbell, trying to control his nerves. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Helen and Penny were probably fine.

Nobody answered the door.

Ben impatiently rang the bell again, knowing that it could be disastrous to startle Penny without ample warning.

The sirens were definitely getting closer.

Ben's heart skipped a beat as he saw a thin wisp of smoke making its way out beneath the door.

Fire.

He grabbed the door handle. Locked. Oh God.

"Hey! Fire!" Ben yelled, banging on the door. No response.

Desperately, he turned to one of the windows, using his shoulder to slam into it. A wave of pain and glass washed over him, but he didn't even notice, climbing into the house as smoke billowed out.

"Helen! Penny!" Ben shouted, wrapping a strip from his shirt around his nose and mouth to limit the smoke inhalation. The sirens were getting closer, but there wasn't time.

He jogged into the kitchen and discovered the fire was spreading from there.

"Helen! Penny!" he shouted, his heart pounding wildly.

Suddenly something brushed against his leg. Skittles.

The cat meowed frantically, pawing at his leg. Then she streaked through the smoke towards the basement door. Ben hurried to follow, trying to ignore the tightening of his lungs and the rising temperature. The black cat stopped in front of a door and began scratching at it.

"Helen? Penny?!" Ben banged on the door, rattling the locked knob. He heard a muffled noise, causing his heart to leap. He shoved his aching shoulder against the door, but it held firm. Desperately Ben ran back into the kitchen and grabbed the largest knife he could find, and attacked the hinges of the door. He shoved against it again, and it slowly, agonizingly, splintered around the hinges. With one final shove, the door fell down.

"Helen? Penny?"

There was a high pitched scream.

"No! Stay away!"

"Penny, it's Ben. I need to get you out of here!"

"Hey! Is anyone in here?!" a faint call came from the door.

"We're back here!" Ben yelled, carefully trying to ease himself down the stairs. He couldn't see anything between the smoke and darkness of the basement. It was relatively cool, but hard to breath. He could hear someone coughing down in the blackness.

"Hold on!" a person called out from above. Hopefully a firefighter.

In a couple moments, a bright beam of light cut through the smoke and fully outfitted firefighters burst into view.

"Sir, we'll handle it from here, this is dangerous," one of the firefighters attempted to pull Ben towards the door while another one hurried past him.

"No! There is a woman and a girl down here, I think!" Ben cried.

"I found a woman! She's down!" a firefighter called out. In the chaos, Ben couldn't tell what was going on, but suddenly he saw Helen's still form in the arms of one of the firefighters.

"I'm taking her out!" someone shouted. "John, cover me. Smith and Parker, find the girl! And for goodness sakes, someone get that man out of here!"

"Her name is Penny," Ben coughed.

"Found her!" a man called out. Ben hurried over despite their attempts to get him out. His heart sunk at what he found. Penny had lodged herself partially behind a large suitcase, under the staircase, curled up in an unreachable niche.

"Come out," the man urged, attempting to reach out to grab her, but falling short. Penny whimpered and curled into a tighter ball.

"Crap! We have a situation," one of the men barked into his radio. "We have a small girl hiding beyond our reach." Above them, the floor creaked, and the smoke was thickening, as well as the temperature was rising.

"Can we cut her out?"

"Too close. We could hurt her."

"Come out, please. You're going to be in danger if you don't come out," one of the firemen attempted to coax her out.

"Listen!" Ben finally made himself heard. "She's not going to come out for you! Let me try. But you have to leave the basement."

"Buddy, the building is going to collapse!"

"I have to try!" Ben set his jaw, forcing himself not to cough for a moment. He locked eyes with one of the men.

"I'll be right around the corner. I'm evacuating everyone else," the chief said after a moment.

Ben nodded. He could hear Penny coughing weakly.

"Penny, this is Ben," he said as gently as he could with the smoke roughening his voice.

"Ben?" Penny shifted slightly in her hiding place and Ben could see her dark eyes shining with fear.

"Hey Penny. Are you okay?"

Only sniffles were her answer. There was a loud creak above.

"It's hard to breathe," Penny whispered.

"I know. I'm having trouble too. That's why we need to get out of here. Will you please come out?"

"Charley locked us down here. He hurt Helen." Penny's dark eyes regarded him silently. He could see the fear and pain swirling in them.

"He's gone. I won't let him come near you again. Please Penny, you can trust me."

Her dark eyes were suspicious.

"Penny, I promise. I won't hurt you. I want to help you."

No response. Oh God. She wasn't going to come out for him.

Suddenly he saw movement and Penny crawled out, coughing and gasping for breath. She held her arms out to Ben and didn't struggle when he scooped her up. In fact, she clung to him, hiding her face in his sweater.

"Don't leave me, Ben," she cried.

"I won't. You're safe now."

The rest was a blur, running up the stairs, the fireman hacking open a window for them to crawl out of, having oxygen masks put on, the beautiful feeling of air rushing into the lungs. All Ben was really aware of was that a medic had informed them that Helen would be okay, and that Penny had held onto him the entire time.

**_Well. I bet you didn't expect that. *sniffles and dabs eyes with tissue*_**

**_Review! Please! And I'm sorry about another cliff hanger. I'm horrible, I swear I am. I just have way too many storylines going on at once to avoid it._**

**_Hate it? Loved it? Cried? Shouted angrily? Stared at the screen passively? Let me know! Hit that review button! :)_**


	16. Cougars

_**Posting this up in a hurry, so reviewers will be thanked in the next chapter. I haven't forgotten you :) HOW COULD I WHEN YOU ARE SO AWESOME?**_

_**Anyways, this isn't my best chapter, but I hope you like it anyways. I feel a little bit like I'm drowning in all the plots going on, but at the same time it's fun to (attempt to) make them weave together. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.**_

_**Please let me know what you think. I realized that every single one of my villains is a man. So I decided to try something else for a change.**_

Frank turned slowly, holding his hands up, to face a rough faced man. Like them, ashes were streaked across his face, but it only made him look more menacing.

"What's going on here?" Frank asked calmly. Nick was silent, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Don't play dumb with me," the man snarled, waving the gun. Frank positioned himself in front of Nick.

"Why don't you put the gun down and we can talk this through calmly?" Frank backed up slightly, making sure his body was between the gun and Nick.

"I don't think so."

Frank spun around to see a young woman dressed in cameo, a gun in her hand. Her dark hair was swept into one thick braid.

"This the detective guy?" she asked another man, who had stepped out of the woods.

"Could be. I knew Greg was trying to screw us over."

"Alright, tie him up then," the woman ordered, keeping the gun pointed at them.

"Not a friendly bunch, are you?" Frank attempted a grin, hoping he could distract them.

"What are we going to do with him?" the older man asked, grabbing some rope from a box.

"Kill him." The woman's expression didn't even change as she said it. However the younger man blanched at her words.

"But… that's a serious crime, Celia…" His green eyes darted nervously to where Frank was standing.

"We'll make it look natural. By the time officials get out here, they won't be any the wiser. They'll think it was the fire and starvation."

Frank let them tie his wrists together. He couldn't risk doing anything that could put Nick in danger.

"What about the kid?"

Frank stiffened. Nick clung to Frank's leg, his blue eyes wide with fear.

Celia made a hand motion that Frank couldn't quite see.

"He's just a kid, Celia," the man protested. "How old are you?" he turned to Nick.

"Stay away from him," Frank growled.

"Relax, I'm just talkin' to him. How old are you, kiddo?"

"Seven," Nick whispered.

"Don't talk to him!" Celia barked, yanking the younger man away. "As soon as you make contact with a victim you form a relationship. That's a weakness!"

"He's seven!" the man said weakly.

"Fine. Let him go. He won't last long in those woods anyways." Celia strutted over and knelt in front of Nick. "Listen buddy, you got lucky because Doug here has a soft heart. So you go ahead and run into those woods. If we see you again, we're going to kill you. Got it?" she smiled sweetly.

"Frank?" Nick whimpered.

"I'm going to count to five," Celia began. "One…"

"Nick, get out of here. I'll be fine. Find the river, okay? Don't worry it's going to be fine."

"Two…"

With one last uncertain look, Nick ran into the woods.

* * *

Nancy wiped her brow with her arm, and then reached down to help Lizzy over a rock.

"We're almost there sweetie." Nancy glanced up at her target, a large, only partially burned tree.

"Mommy, I'm scared," Zoe whimpered, glancing at the darkening sky.

"We're going to be okay, I promise," Nancy said gently, cuddling the little girl. "Alright, I want you two to stay super still down here. I'm going to climb the tree really quickly and see if I can find a road or anything.

"We'll be good," Zoe promised, wrapping her arms around Lizzy. Nancy gave them a small smile then turned to the tree. Quickly she pulled herself up onto the first branch and carefully made her way upward until she finally could see over the burnt remains of the woods. Her heart skipped a beat.

Only maybe half a mile away was the grey asphalt of a road.

"Thank God," Nancy gasped. She quickly made sure she knew which direction the road was and began to climb back down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Lizzy and Zoe crowded up to her.

"Don't worry. This is almost over," Nancy told them, picking up Lizzy and taking Zoe's hand.

_Nick and Frank, hang on a little bit longer. I'll find you._

* * *

Nick ran exactly for two minutes, then stopped and began to creep back. Frank was depending on him. Frank had protected him from everything, and now it was his turn to help Frank.

Nick shuddered as he thought about that fur he had seen in the camp. Those people were hunting cougars. Endangered cougars, to be exact.

That was not okay. Not at all.

Suddenly Nick tripped over a log, scrapping his knee against a branch. At the pain, his bravado slipped away. He was scared and hurt. Frank was in danger. He didn't know where his mom or his sisters were. And those people had guns.

He hated guns. He remembered once, awhile ago, his own dad had shot Frank with a gun.

Unless of course it was a police officer gun. Then it was okay.

Nick fleetingly wished that Uncle Joe was there with his cool uniform and weapons that he used to keep people safe.

He bit his lip and tried not to cry, leaning against the log that had just attacked him, and burying his head in his arms.

Suddenly something brushed against his hair.

Nick froze, then very slowly lifted his head. He stared into the wild pale eyes of a magnificent beast. Its lithe body was an almost golden color, shining and gleaming.

It was a North American Cougar.

Nick held his breath as the cougar stared at him silently. One of its ears twitched slightly.

Then the cougar turned gracefully and stalked silently into the woods.

* * *

"I wasn't aware there was much money in poaching endangered animals," Frank said conversationally.

"If you saw the pelts of those cougars, you won't be thinking that way," Doug, the younger man, said. He seemed happy to chat with Frank while he worked.

"Fire caught you by surprise?"

"Nah. We're the ones who set it. Smoked those animals out and into our traps. It was Celia's idea." Doug grabbed a cloth and began cleaning a metal trap.

"Ah." Frank gritted his teeth and spied a shard of metal and began planning how he could get it into his hand. The faster he got out of here, the faster he could find Nick. "Listen, thanks for stopping Celia from hurting Nick, the boy. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Dough froze over the trap, his dirty brown hair falling into his eyes. Finally he began polishing the trap again.

"Yeah, well it ain't right to hurt a kid. I've got two back home."

"Doug, what are you doing out here? You seem like a nice guy. Why would you mess up your life this way?"

"I needed money. I ran into Celia in my town and she promised me I could get loads of money. I don't want my boys to grow up the way I did. I want to be able to provide for them, maybe send them to college so they can get good jobs."

"You're not going to be able to provide for them if you are in jail." Frank shifted slightly towards the shard of metal.

"I'm not going to jail," Doug stated, grabbing a new trap and beginning to clean the blood off. However Frank could see the unease shining in his green eyes.

"My brother's a police officer. He's never going to believe that I just died of starvation or in the fire. He knows me better than that. He'll figure it out, and he's not going to give up chasing you. Ever." Frank knew taking a threatening approach could be dangerous, but he gave it his best shot anyway.

"It ain't that simple!" Doug hissed, his green eyes darting around the darkening camp. "You don't quit on Celia. Unless you want to find yourself six feet under."

"Hey Doug, don't talk to the man," Celia walked up, carrying a large beautiful pelt. "Help me carry this to the car."

"What about the guy?" the older man glanced at Frank.

"He's trussed up, he ain't goin' nowhere. Might as well get the whole lot to the car," Doug said quickly. He glanced at Frank, his face holding a meaningful look.

Frank tensed. He watched where Doug, the other man, and Celia disappeared into the woods, then scooted over so that shard of metal was within his reach. Quickly he moved his body so his hands could clamp onto it.

"Hey Frank…"

Frank's head shot up. He couldn't see anything.

"It's me!" Suddenly two blue eyes peeked out from behind a tree, accompanied with a mischievous smile.

"Nick!" Frank gasped.

"I'll help you," Nick ran out from behind the tree and quickly attacked the knot around Frank's wrists.

"What are you doing here?!" Frank wasn't sure if he should be angry or relieved.

"I hid in the woods and waited for my chance. We can't let these guys hurt those cougars!" Nick whispered with passion. The knot came undone and Frank quickly undid the one around his ankles and stood up.

"Let's get out of here," Frank took Nick's hand.

"But Frank, what about the cougars?"

"I promise, we'll come back to stop these guys. But for now, I'm worried about keeping you safe."

"Hey!" a shout came from the woods.

"And that's our cue to go," Frank murmured, already sprinting into the woods with Nick on his back.

_**What do you think? Please review! :)**_


	17. A Few Reunions

_**I am so sorry! I just came back from a week long mission trip. I was going to let you all know, but it fell through the cracks in the craziness of packing. I feel awful. I'm so sorry, I should have made time to tell you all. **_

_**Good news is that I'm going to be home/have computer access for awhile! I'm going to try to get the story finished up and update more regularly! I'm guessing we probably have about 5 more chapters, give or take a couple. It might be longer actually, since I need to tie up most of the ends. This will be the last story in this series, but I'll talk more about that later. **_

_**A HUGE GIGANTIC thanks to my reviewers of chapters 15 and 16, Guest#1, MCR-1993, Guest#2, Albany, bhar, Guest#3, smithy, paaps, Max2013, NancyFrankfan1, jarlcarriers, inlo, Cupcake, Dreamer1218, Cecilia Haunt, dolphingirl7, Guest#4, The Vulture, bhar, Jabba1, wolfgirl1221, Future Animator, j, and AlienAllie!**_

_**Sorry again that I appeared to abandon you. I'll try to get that next chapter up soon for you all.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.**_

"I'm fine, really. Please, it doesn't need stitches," Helen argued. "Can I please see my daughter now?"

The nurse huffed in frustration.

"Ma'am, you've suffered from a serious concussion and that gash is still bleeding!" The nurse threw up her hands in despair.

"How is she doing?" a woman, clearly the doctor, walked in, pulling on gloves. The nurse pressed her lips together. "Ah. We have a fighter?" the doctor laughed kindly. "Hello, I'm Doctor Gomez. We'd like to do a quick CT scan for that concussion and just put a couple stitches in the back of your head. It looks like you're clear on smoke inhalation, you just might be a little short of breath, but that should pass quickly."

"I really am fine. I just want to see my daughter. Nobody had even told me how she is," Helen bit back tears.

"Your daughter is fine," Doctor Gomez reassured Helen quickly. "I promise, this won't take long. Then we'll release you if everything looks good."

"Alright," Helen gave in.

After what seemed like far too long, Helen walked out of the hospital room.

"Waiting room is that way," a nurse directed her.

"Thank you." Helen sped up. She opened the door and her gaze immediately locked in on the small blonde girl sitting on the lap of a young brown haired man.

"Helen!" Penny jumped up and launched herself at the woman.

"Penny! Oh Penny, are you okay?" Helen couldn't stop the tears as she rocked her daughter back and forth.

"I'm alright," Penny told her. "And so is Skittles! She's with the neighbors right now because they wouldn't let us bring her to the hospital."  
"Well thank goodness for that," Helen smiled, kissing Penny on the top of the head.

"How are you feeling?" Ben had stood aside while Penny and Helen had greeted each other, but now he put his hands on Helen's shoulders, looking at her carefully.

"Not too bad. A little drugged up," Helen said slightly shyly, taking his hand. A confused look flitted across her face. Something was different.

Penny was standing right next to Ben, looking totally relaxed.

"I'll tell you later," Ben whispered into her ear, smiling.

"Helen!"

Helen turned to see an elderly man bustling towards them.

"Fenton!" she cried.

"Oh my God, are you alright? We heard… the fire…" Fenton was slightly out of breath. His dark eyes were full of concern.

"We're all okay, but the house…" Helen trailed off, tears starting to brim. "I don't think it's in very good shape."

"As long as we all are alright, I couldn't care less," Fenton said quickly, moving to give the young woman a hug. He paused to shake Ben's hand and tousle Penny's hair. "It's been so crazy around here with Nancy and Frank on vacation and Rose coming early…" Fenton bit his lip as he hesitated. "Listen, Joe went to go look for Nancy, Frank, and the kids."

"Oh God, I had forgotten all about them with all this going on," Helen gasped.

"Are they okay?" Penny asked in a small voice, clutching Helen's hand.

"We haven't heard, sweetie," Fenton said gently. "They'll pull through. They always do."

"Please keep us updated," Helen said, trying to hold back tears. Gosh, her emotions were going strong today. She would not be able to handle if anything happened to Nancy and her family though. She owed her life, her happiness, her daughter… basically everything, to Nancy.

"Listen, I left Laura with Ivan in the hospital lobby, so I should run and help her. We're watching Ivan and checking in on Vanessa while Joe's gone. I guess we don't have a house…" Fenton frowned. "Good thing we never got around to moving those boxes of keepsakes out of Joe and Vanessa's basement. Vanessa told me to tell that you are welcome to stay with them."

"Thank you," Helen gave a sigh of relief. She had tried not to think about all they had lost, instead focusing on the fact that they were all safe, but it was beginning to seep in that she once again had no home.

"Take care. We'll probably see you at the house later tonight." Fenton kissed her cheek and shook Ben's hand. They watched him stride out of the hospital waiting room.

"He's a good man," Ben said quietly.

"Yes," Helen agreed. She hesitated. "Is…" She hated even bringing up the name, but she had to know. "Charley?"

"The police nabbed him at a gas station about a hundred miles out of town. He said he never meant for the fire to be deadly- just a distraction so he could get away," Ben told her, his green eyes darkening.

"I don't want to see him again," Helen shook her head.

"You might have to," Ben murmured, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "With the trial and all. But we don't have to worry about that now."

"I know." Helen shook her head to cast the thought out of her mind. She smiled and took Penny's hand. It felt so small and thin. Helen swallowed hard as she saw the bruise which had blossomed on the girl's cheek. Whether or not it had been intentional, she _had_ brought Penny into a dangerous situation. "I'm so sorry," Helen said softly, kissing Penny on the forehead. The small girl wrapped her arms around her waist.

"I love you, Helen," she mumbled into Helen's shirt.

* * *

Nancy surveyed the road, her heart sinking.

Unconsiously, she had begun thinking that once she found the road, all her problems would be solved. Now, standing on the blackened asphalt, she realized that it could be days before a car came by.

They could follow the road, but Nancy knew she was losing strength rapidly. She had carried Lizzy and occasionally Zoe long stretches of the hours of walking. The only food they had, a partially smashed granola bar from her pocket, she had split between her two daughters.

No, if they tried to find some civilization along the road, she probably wouldn't be able to make it.

Lizzy began crying and Nancy headed back to the edge of the road, her arms screaming in protest as she picked the toddler up.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie," Nancy cooed, rocking the girl back and forth, her blue eyes still glued to the road.

"Are we going to go home yet Mommy?" Zoe asked, sitting on a rock. Her face was smudged with ashes, and her clothes were filthy and ripped in some places. Nancy knew she probably looked even worse.

"I hope so." Nancy sighed, and tried to blink away the tears. It was killing her that she didn't know if her son was safe. She replayed the scene where they were separated again in her head, trying to analyze her mistake. He had to be okay. He _had_ to. Frank too. But Frank was a grown man, an experienced detective, used to emergency situations, and could look after himself. Nick was seven.

"Mommy, look!" Zoe pointed down the road. Nancy turned.

Her heart leapt. Visible in the dimming light were the distant headlights of a car.

"Stay right here!" Nancy told Zoe and Lizzy, and ran out into the road. "Hey! Stop!" she waved her arms in the air. The car sped towards her at an amazing speed. Just when Nancy felt like she was going to be run over, the car screeched to a stop.

"Nancy?!" A handsome young blonde man jumped out of the car, his blue eyes bright with worry.

"Joe?!" Nancy gasped.

"Are you okay?" Joe hugged her tightly. "God, you look awful. Any major injuries?"

"Just some minor scrapes and burns," Nancy told him, relief washing over her like a tidal wave. "Listen, we need to find Frank and Nick."

"They aren't with you?" Joe asked, alarmed. Nancy shook her head, lifting Lizzy into the back of the car, then helping Zoe in. Joe quickly grabbed a water bottle and Nancy helped the girls drink before sipping some herself.

"Any idea where we could find them?" Joe asked quietly. Nancy ran a hand through her hair and silently shook her head. "Nan? Are you okay?" Joe touched her shoulder.

"Nick got separated from me while we were running from the fire. I don't know if he made it to safety," Nancy choked out. Joe's face paled and he spun around to stare at the burnt trees surrounding them on all sides.

"Crap," he swore quietly.

Then in the distance, the shot of a gun rang out in the darkening air.

_**Please leave a review! :)**_


	18. Collisions

_**Hey everybody!**_

_**Alright, I looked at the storyline, and we probably have about three chapters to go!**_

_**Quick note on the series: This will be the last one following this storyline and background. My next story will probably be about Nancy and Frank and Joe when they are college student aged, but that's not for certain. It does mean this will probably be the last story with all my OCs such as Helen, Penny, Ben, Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy. (Pauses to sob for about two hours) There will probably be a long sentimental note about all that in the last chapter, so look forward to that. **_

_**I might also try dabbling in some other fandoms such as Fairytales or other books I enjoy. But I have no doubt I'll be back eventually! **_

_**And yes, my cat is doing well! She's pretty much back to normal (except with one less eye) and as sassy as ever! Thank for all your support :)**_

_**Quick thank you to my amazing reviewers! (on a side note, I got my first negative review in a long time) Thanks to raven678, j, Baltimore Raven, Savanna L, Guest, wolfgirl1221, Cupcake, Jabba1, Smithy, inlo, pen4lew, max2013, and bhar!**_

_**Also, if you're glad I updated, thank my sister for nagging the heck out of me to do it! (she's one of my reviewers :D)**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys and I was half asleep when I wrote this chapter, so sorry for any mistakes!**_

"Come on!" Frank encouraged Nick, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He boosted Nick into a tree and briefly debated leading the poachers off in a different direction. He quickly decided against it, unsure if he would be able to find the small boy again if they split up. Too risky.

"Come out and we won't shoot!" the sharp voice of a woman rang out. Celia.

Frank quietly pulled himself into the tree, motioning to Nick to remain silent. This was going to be risky. But it was probably safer than dragging themselves through the undergrowth, giving away their location, and being at gun level. As soon as the gun shot had gone off, Frank knew they had to find a place to hide rather than risk being hit by a bullet fired randomly.

He could hear the dangerous group moving their direction.

He peered through the blackened branches, taking a shallow breath as he saw Celia's dark hair pass below the tree. Thank God they had the darkening sky on their side.

Celia stopped, literally right below them. Frank glanced at Nick, who was perfectly still, his small knuckles white as he gripped the branch tightly. His blue eyes told Frank that he understood the gravity of the situation perfectly well.

"Damn it, we lost them," Celia growled.

"They ain't going to survive long in the woods. Let's head back," Doug suggested.

"Idiot. You saw that man. He knows what he's doing. He'll bring this whole operation down on our heads if we don't find him!" Celia bit the words out. "Do you want your boys to go hungry because you're in jail?" This time her voice was gentler.

"No ma'am," Doug stuttered.

Suddenly Nick's hand slipped slightly on the branch, and a small sliver of burnt bark fell down to the ground, right in front of Celia. She bent to pick up the bark and examined it. Then she turned and began to tilt her face upward.

"Freeze!"

Celia jerked to look behind her, bark falling from her hand forgotten. Frank let out the breath he had been holding and Nick looked like he was going to faint from relief. But Frank didn't have much time to remain relieved once he recognized the voice.

_Nancy._

"Where is my son? My fiancée?" Nancy demanded, her voice laced with steel.

"Put down the gun and we can talk this over. I think there's been a misunderstanding." Celia's smooth voice seemed innocent.

_Don't trust her, Nan,_ Frank thought fervently.

"Where. Are. They." Nancy growled. "I swear, I'm not playing any games today. I'm pissed and I have a gun. I heard that gunshot."

"I'm sorry, but we had to dispose of them," Celia said sweetly, and Frank could see her grip tighten on the gun she was holding behind her back.

The blood drained from Nancy's face.

"You didn't."

Frank hesitated, trying to figure out how to play the situation so they could all get out alive.

"We had to. And now we're going to have to kill you too…" Celia moved to pull out her gun, but just as the shout of warning left Frank's lips, Nancy threw herself at Celia with a yell of pure rage. A gunshot rang out.

"Stay here!" Frank yelled at Nick as he jumped down from the tree, straight onto the other man who was pulling out his gun. The poacher crumpled instantly beneath him.

Nancy and Celia were engaged in a furious tussle and Frank couldn't tell who was winning.

"Hey!" Frank yelled, grabbing Celia from behind and forcing her into a head lock. She was stronger than he had anticipated, landing a substantial blow to his stomach. He almost lost his grip as the air whooshed out of his lungs. But before he could attempt to subdue the crazed woman in his arms, Nancy knocked her out cold with a blow to her jaw. The silence that filled the air was overpowering.

"Nancy, are you okay?" Frank touched her shoulder, his stomach dropping as he saw the blood staining her shirt. Nancy looked down with surprise.

"It's not mine, I think I broke her nose." She looked up. "Frank do you know where Nick is?"

"Mommy, I'm right here!"

Nancy spun around and looked up, a huge smiled spreading across her face.

"Nick!" Nancy cried with joy, catching the boy as he dropped from the tree. She spun him around, kissing the top of his head. "I was worried." Nancy told him softly.

"I was worried too," Nick responded, cuddling up against her.

"He's been quite the trooper," Frank smiled. Nancy turned to look at him, her blue eyes bright. Before Frank knew what was happening, Nancy had flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. Frank responded quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.

"Eewww!" Nick hid his face behind his hands.

Nancy and Frank looked at each other and laughed.

"So, how are we getting out of here?" Frank asked.

"I think I've got ya covered, bro." Joe stepped out from the undergrowth, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Joe!" Frank beamed, walking over to give his brother a man hug. "How did you get here?"

"Road trip," Joe grinned, leaning down to handcuff the unconscious Celia. "Dang Nan, you really hit her hard."

"I was kind of angry," Nancy shrugged, putting her hands on Nick's shoulders. "Are the girls in the car?"

"Yes. I came out once I heard the second gunshot but got here just in time to see you making out with my brother." Joe pulled a face. "I've got to agree with Nick on the eww. Not exactly the highlight of my trip, but at least you're alive and able to make out, so that's good. We should probably go back to the girls though. Can I have my gun back?"

"Here," Nancy grabbed the gun off the ground and handed it to Joe. "Make sure that it's disarmed." She paused. "Weren't there three poachers?""

"Doug!" Frank hissed. It seemed that the kinder young man had bolted. "Crap. He got away."

"Actually," a meek voice rang out. "I'm right here." Doug stepped out from behind a tree. Nancy stepped in front of Nick and Joe pulled out his gun.

"Put your hands up," Joe ordered.

"Relax," Doug put his hands up. "I'm not going to try anything. I want to make this as easy as possible."

Joe warily stepped forward. Doug allowed him to place the handcuffs on with no resistance.

"Do you think you could put in a good word for me at the trial?" Doug asked, his green eyes hopeful.

"I think we could do that," Frank agreed. "You've made the right choice."

"I'm calling some back up," Joe said. "I am not driving for six hours with these guys in my car and with three small children. It's not proper police protocol either."

"Don't forget the Miranda rights," Frank reminded him.

"I'll tell them once they wake up." Joe grabbed his police radio. He glanced at Celia who was still unconscious, a bruise blooming on her jaw, then grinned at Nancy. "That is, if she wakes up."

_**Reviews? Anyone? *Holds hat out and waves it around as people avert eyes and walk by* Aha! You! You made eye contact! Now you must review!**_


	19. A Bright Future

_**Hey all! We have one chapter left after all this one.**_

_**There will be a long cheesy author's note that those of you who feel like reading will be invited to read before the last chapter. **_

_**Thanks to my awesome reviewers, Guest, Cupcake, FreshKicks, hollyboo2001, raven678, no-oneimportant, max2013, bhar, and Guest#2! And a large thanks to my readers as well! Thanks for sticking in there to the end!**_

_**One chapter to go after this one!**_

_**Disclaimer: I still do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys!**_

"Hey sweetie," Vanessa cooed. Rose was so tiny in her arms, like a small fragile doll. One tiny hand curled around her finger with a surprisingly strong grip. Her little mouth pursed, as if trying to such nutrients from the air. Vanessa felt tears prickling behind her eyelids. She blinked them away and told herself she was being silly. She was overly emotional from all the stress that was going on. As far as premature babies went, Vanessa knew they were incredibly blessed. Rose was doing well- she could breathe on her own and was beginning to learn to drink, and had even gained some weight. But Vanessa just wanted to take her home.

What sort of problems was Rose going to have later on? Would she be weaker than the other kids? Have asthma?

"Vanessa?" The doctor carefully opened the door. "Could I take a moment to look at Rose?"

"Of course." Vanessa stood up and gently transferred her daughter to the doctor's arms. "She's past danger, right?" Vanessa asked as the doctor laid down the tiny baby in her NICU unit.

"I'd say she's doing very well. Other than the brief infection in her lungs, she seems to be fairly healthy and responding well to the antibiotics. You're very lucky."

"I know." Vanessa touched the blonde fuzz on Rose's head.

"I'd say were looking at another week in the hospital while she puts on weight and to ensure there aren't other infections, and of course we need to make sure she's got the eating and drinking down. But she's doing very well. In fact, two weeks in the NICU is a very short stay for babies as premature as she was."

"One week?" Vanessa's face broke out into a smile.

"If everything goes well," the doctor told her quickly.

"Of course," Vanessa nodded but couldn't rein in her excitement. One week!

* * *

"Are we all set?" Joe asked, leaning against the wall.

"We might some of you as witnesses for the trial, but we've got your statements so we're all set for now," Chief Connors told Joe. "You did well son. If you ever need a place, don't forget about my force. You too," the chief turned to Frank.

"Sorry, but we're committed to the Oakfield force," Frank said apologetically.

"I figured," the chief sighed. "Don't tell your chief I tried to sway you over, now," he chuckled.

"Of course not, sir," Joe said smartly. "Well, you know how to contact us for any questions. Keep us in touch for the trail and all that. And don't be too rough on the young man, Doug. He's made some bad choices but he's not malicious like the others."

"You got it. And we'll let you know if your friend Greg shows up. We've got a search out there for him now." The tone of room was somber for a moment as they thought of missing Greg. The chief broke the silence. "Which of you knocked out the lady? She was out cold for probably an hour."

"Ah. That was me," Nancy said, walking through the door. "Are you boys almost ready?"

Frank felt a rush of pride as the chief's jaw dropped. He stood up, maybe a bit too eagerly, wrapping his arm around her slim waist. She gave him an amused look.

"I think we're ready."

There was a round of handshakes before they walked out into the cool summer air.

"Hey Joe, why don't you spend the night at our place?" Stan paused them as they were about to get into the car where the three kids were asleep. "My wife would kill me if I let you drive when you're all so tired. You can rest up at our place and get out bright and early."

"I wouldn't mind some running water," Nancy said ruefully, looking down at the filth all over her clothes and body.

"That would be great, Stan," Frank decided.

"Thanks man," Joe clapped the young man on the shoulder.

"Great," Stan grinned. "Follow me, it isn't far from the station."

Soon they were at the cute little white house and Stan's wife, Sara, a pretty young woman, bustled around to make sure they all had a place to sleep, pausing to chat quietly with Nancy in the living room. Soon Nancy had disappeared into the shower. The house grew still.

"Hey Frank?" Joe sat up, suddenly realizing something.

"Yeah?" Frank was sitting on the other couch. Waiting for Nancy.

"I have a daughter now. As in…" Joe groped for words. "As in, a daughter outside the womb."

"What?!" Frank's eyes widened. "Rose was born?"

"Yeah. About a week ago."

"Is she okay? Being so premature and all?" Frank asked concernedly.

"She's doing well. I talked to Vanessa earlier and it sounds like she can come home in about a week if all goes well."

"That's great!" Frank beamed. "Congratulations Joe!"

"Thanks," Joe smiled. "You should see her, Frank. She's perfect."

"I bet she is," Frank's lips curved knowingly.

"She's going to look just like Vanessa. She has those huge grey eyes and the cutest little nose. She's perfect," Joe repeated.

"Sorry we had to tear you from her. That must have been tough for both you and Van when you left."

"Well, I had to save your butt, as usual," Joe shrugged, his eyes twinkling.

"Hold on. I'm always the one saving _your_ rear end. Not the other way around," Frank frowned.

"Keep telling yourself that, bro," Joe grinned.

"You can believe your lies, it doesn't mean I'm going to," Frank huffed.

"Are you boys fighting again?" Nancy appeared, wearing a long shirt and shorts that Frank assumed she was borrowing from Sara.

"Hey Nancy, you look a lot less dirty! Now you don't look like a hobo!" Joe grinned.

"Thanks Joe," Nancy rolled her eyes. "So what were you two talking about?"

"Oh yeah! Nancy, I have to tell you something…"

* * *

"I want to show you something," Ben helped Penny out of the car. Helen was at a checkup for her previous concussion, and Ben had offered to go on an outing with Penny. To the surprise of everyone, Penny had agreed to go.

"Is it something for Skittles?" Penny asked, holding his hand and jumping onto the sidewalk.

"Nope. It's a surprise for you," Ben smiled. "Not even Helen has seen it."

"Not even Helen?!" Penny's dark eyes widened.

"Nope. This is just for you." Ben guided Penny down the street. Ever since the fire, they had formed a sort of bond- the type of bond that can only be formed through a shared traumatic experience. Trust, Ben had learned, was not given easily, and he wasn't planning on treating the privilege lightly. "Alright, we're almost there." Ben waited for the walk signal to turn, then crossed the street with Penny.

"Am I going to like it?" Penny asked, brushing her blond hair out of her eyes.

"I hope so," Ben said. "It's just around this corner."

Ben stopped Penny in front of an empty building. It was nestled between two other stores, in a busy part of town. There was a sold sign taped to the window. Above that was a piece of paper.

"The Lucky Penny," Penny sounded out. Her eyes widened and she turned to Ben.

"It's my new restaurant. Or, it's going to be. I finally saved enough. All I had to figure out was the name," Ben said softly.

"Wow," Penny whispered. Ben put his hands on her shoulders and they stared at the empty storefront.

Any passerby would have thought they were a father daughter pair, examining an abandoned building. And they wouldn't be totally wrong. But the two were not staring at an abandoned building. They were gazing at a bright future.

_**Reviews would mean a lot to me! :)**_


	20. An Ending

_**Well, this is it. The end- and there won't be a sequel announcement- this is truly the end.**_

_**Feel free to skip the long author's note!**_

_***takes deep breath and wipes away tears to prepare for sentimental speech***_

_** I guess I would have to say this entire series began as an experiment. I randomly had a random idea which turned into the premise for Moving Forward. Nancy Drew in an abusive relationship? What? I don't even remember why I started that story. But somehow it got going with a lot more response than I had anticipated. By the end, I was stuck. Writing Nancy with three children and an abusive past was somewhat limiting- it's incredibly hard to work children into a Nancy/Frank style adventure and it was definitely a challenge to balance all the complex emotions of being a parent and formerly in an abusive relationship while attempting to preserve the character of Nancy. But I had fallen in love with the characters and premise and (not going to lie) was swayed by the huge amount of begging there was for a sequel. Thus followed Situations to Solve and then Convergence of Chaos. I loved writing about all my characters- especially developing the story of Helen, Ben, and Penny. I can't express how touched I was at the amount of enthusiasm towards their story. Usually it is Nancy or Frank and Joe that readers really want to hear about- but there was truly interest in their story, which I thought was awesome. And even now, I am having a hard time closing the door to this story- I love Nick, Lizzy, and Zoe as Nancy's children. I love Penny and Helen and Ben and Skittles. But I think it is time for me to put this storyline down and give the characters some well deserved peace. I'm excited to experiment with some other things myself, try some different things. Wow I feel so crazy, talking about my characters as if they were real. So much emotion :o Anyways, A huge gigantic thanks to all my reviewers! Even when I felt stuck, my reviewers and readers are what kept me going. **_

_**I will be back, probably with a college age Nancy/Frank story. I might try dabbling in some other Fandoms as well, but we'll see. It might be a little while before I resurface again (my summer is about to get insanely busy) but I should show up at some point. And I'll be around, reading other people's stories, so just inbox me for any reason. **_

_**I'm not going to leave an author's note at the bottom so I'll ask you all here: If you could leave one last review, even if you haven't reviewed the entire series, I would love some final thoughts! So please leave a review! (Pretty please with a cherry on top) It would mean a lot!  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.**_

"You look gorgeous."

Nancy looked into the mirror. Her strawberry blonde hair had been swept up into an intricate braided and looped half bun. The rest of her hair tumbled around her bare shoulders. The simple white dress clung to her frame well, and Nancy felt herself admiring the subtle work of the makeup stylist who Bess had insisted she see.

"How much do you want to bet that Frank's going to straight out gape?" George laughed.

"Are you sure this isn't too fancy?" Nancy asked, touching her hair lightly.

"I'm sure. It's perfect. You look amazing," Helen said softly.

"How do I look?" Penny chirped, swirling in her flower girl dress. Nancy laughed and gave the small girl a hug.  
"You look beautiful," she told her.

"Are you sure you'll be okay without anybody going down with you?" Helen asked, absentmindedly fixing Penny's blonde hair, which had small white roses braided into it. Penny nodded.

"I'll have Zoe and Lizzy. And I need to help them because they're littler," Penny reminded Helen. "Nancy, today Pebbles opened her eyes!"

"That's so exciting!" Nancy smiled. "I can't wait to see her!"

Skittles, to everybody's surprise, had been discovered to be pregnant. Her litter had been small- only three tiny kittens. One black, one a mottled grey colored, and another black and white. Penny had found it perfect, one for her to keep, one for Nancy, and another for Joe and Vanessa. Ben had them at his house, where they could peacefully grow up away from the chaos that was the Hardy clan.

"Everybody ready?" Vanessa walked into the room, carrying Zoe. She wore a simple light blue summer dress, which all the bridesmaids were wearing. Zoe's strawberry blond hair had a couple tiny rosebuds braided in, just like Penny, and they wore matching silky light blue dresses. Lizzy was decked in similar fashion. Bess took Zoe and followed George and Helen, pausing to squeeze Nancy's hand.

"Ready?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know." Nancy turned away from the mirror.

"Don't be nervous," Vanessa laughed lightly, taking her hand. "Is this the same Nancy Drew that was kidnapped and wasn't even scared?"

"It's this dress," Nancy groaned. "I hate dresses. You can't run away…"

Vanessa started laughing, and Nancy smiled despite the fluttery feeling in her stomach.

"Come on. Frank is waiting. And I doubt you'll want to run away from him."

"I wish my dad was here." Nancy's voice was nearly a whisper. Vanessa turned to face her. Nancy's crystal blue eyes were wistful.

Vanessa wordlessly gave her friend a hug. Nancy sniffed slightly then pulled away after a moment. She turned to look away from Vanessa, her blue eyes staring at something Vanessa couldn't see. "Do you think it's okay that I still miss Ned sometimes? I mean, I love Frank. So much. But I still miss Ned sometimes…"

"Joe still misses Iola sometimes," Vanessa said softly. Nancy's vulnerability was surprising- she had always been the strong one. But Vanessa knew that the young woman had deep scars that couldn't be completely hidden all the time.

"Do you mind that?"

"No. I know he loved her, but I also know that he loves me. Frank understands that too, with you. You know he does," Vanessa said firmly.

"I know." Nancy began to smile, her eyes brightening. "Thanks Vanessa."

"You're welcome. Now let's go find Fenton for you, and I better go join the bridesmaids! Frank is going to think you were kidnapped again!"

* * *

Frank's tie was choking him.

He fought the urge to tug at it, reminding himself that he was in front of a crowd. The benches settled in the beautiful green backyard of the church were full of family, friends, coworkers, and even Penny's social worker.

Maybe he and Nancy should have just eloped.

How long was he supposed to stand here?

What if Nancy got kidnapped?

Frank had a brief moment of panic at that thought before he reminded himself that he was being ridiculous.

Suddenly the music began, and the groomsmen and bridesmaids began walking down the aisle. Frank met Joe's gaze as his brother came and stood by him. His eyes flickered over the crowd and caught the smile of his mother, holding Rose, who was not so tiny anymore.

"Hang in there, bro," Joe whispered, briefly touching Frank's shoulder, who gave his brother a grateful look.

Frank watched as Nick, dressed in the cutest tux Frank had ever seen, walked solemnly down the aisle, carrying the simple pillow with the two rings. And then came Penny, Zoe, and Lizzy, spreading white rose petals, wearing matching light blue dresses.

Nancy stepped into view and Frank's breath left him.

She looked amazing. Her red blond hair was tumbling around her bare shoulders, some of it braided back. The white dress clung to her slender frame perfectly as she glided towards him. But what really took his breath away were her blue eyes, so full of love, fixed on him. All he could do was smile and stare at her. Finally she was beside him. She kissed Fenton on the cheek, then her hand slipped into Frank's. No words were needed as her eyes met Frank's.

They had gone through so much together. So much pain and joy, fear and excitement. More, they knew, was to come. Maybe another child, maybe not. They would work together as parents, and maybe, detectives. The future was uncertain, yet one thing remained clear. They would have each other.

That was all that mattered.


End file.
